Welcome to Berry Sky Farm!
by StrawberryInsanity
Summary: Ryou makes an accident and now the mews have to go a farm to find the new girl. With four girls to guess from and Kish's brother joining the aliens, what will happen out in this little farm town? KxI OCxOC PxL TxP
1. Berry Sky Farm

My first story! I feel so nervous...um, I thought this was a cute idea, though I kind of feel bad for Mint, being such a clean rich girl. I hope no one minds, but like to use the original Japanese names like "Retasu" and "Purin" rather than "Pudding" and "Lettuce."  
Pairings: OCxOC KxI TxP (and som PxL)

* * *

She sighed, walking up the yellow brick path leading to the large pink café, it was her turn to go shopping that week for food and other necessities but she always dreaded it, she hated the city. It was much too crowded and noisy compared to the quiet and nearly deserted farm town that she was used to. She pushed open the doors, not noticing the CLOSED sign, and peeked in to see the lights turned off.

A girl with pink hair walked down the stairs, "Oh, I'm sorry; we're not open right now." She said.

"Oh, sorry to bother you…" She turned and left quickly, closing the door behind her. The ground under her began to shake and a bright red light flashed, she felt warm…fuzzy…good. Not quite noticing that she was naked, she saw a small white lamb in front of her, it was fluffy with wool and began floating toward her.

"_Wait…sheep can't fly…_" She thought numbly. She watched the little animal advance toward her and before she could really understand what was happening, it sunk into her chest. After that, everything went black.

* * *

"So," Ichigo said, "Basically, what happened yesterday is this, you were trying to screw around with our mew DNA's, which, by the way, could have been _very_ dangerous, and accidentally ended up injecting a girl who we don't know."

"Exactly." Ryou answered bluntly.

"You BAKA!" Ichigo shouted.

"Now Ichigo," Minto said, "Anyone could have made this mistake easily, what with all that advanced equipment and such, so you really shouldn't be getting mad at Ryou, if it had bee you handling that injector gun we'd probably be dead by now."

Ichigo twitched; did Minto _always_ havet to defend Ryou? She knew why she did it to; just because she knew it annoyed her.

Ichigo sighed, frustrated, "Do we at least know where she is?"

"We do," Keiichiro answered, "We believe she is one of the young girls that live on Berry Sky Farm."

"A _farm_?" Minto asked, "Our new member lives on a _farm_?"

"So we believe," Keiichiro said, "But she could very well be any other young girl that lives in the small town around there."

"I'm guessing this place is pretty isolated, huh?" Ichigo asked.

"Quite," Ryou answered, "There are four farms in that area, all with a lot of land being used for pastures, and the suburban houses also have large yards. But over all, the place is pretty small."

"Please tell me there's a least one mall around there." Minto said after a sip of tea.

"There is," Ryou said, "But remember, we're going only to find our new member."

"Yes, yes, of course." Minto said, "I was just hoping for some sort of modern civilization there."

"To Amish people, that _is_ modern cibilizaiton, na no da!" Purin piped up.

"_Civilization_," Retasu corrected the girl, "Not _cibilization_."

"Oh." Purin said, giggling.

"So then," Ichigo said, "What are we going to do there? Besides looking for the right girl."

"Keiichiro has already got a place for us to have a small café in the town," Ryou said, "A man, Kei Chikyuuhoshi, used to own it to sell products from his farm; he'll be helping us set it up."

"When do we leave?" Minto asked.

"Two days," Keiichiro answered, "Tomorrow Ryou and I will get everything settled with your parents, as you all know it is summer break, so school won't be a problem."

"Great," Zakuro said, "I have a photo shoot tomorrow."

"Well," Keiichiro said, "Ryou and I have some preparations we have yet to do here; I recommend that you girls get ready yourselves."

"Hai." All five answered, one ending with a "na no da".

* * *

The girls were packed, ready to go; the two days had gone by in a flash. They were going to drive a white van for the four hour car ride, Keiichiro and Zakuro would be switching on and off with the driving, the other girls and Ryou in the back seats.

The trunk was loaded up with everyone's luggage, the plan was to stay for two weeks, possibly longer if need but they didn't think it would really take that long to find the right girl. As to what they would do once they found her; no one knew.

On the aliens' spaceship, they were also getting a new recruit. Kuriimu, Kish's younger brother.

"So," Kish said, "They really sent _you_?"

"Shut up!" Kuriimu said, "I bet we'll get this mission done before you know it!"

"Really? That's what those two said." Kish said, gesturing to Pai and Tart.

"Hey!" Tart exclaimed, slightly offended.

"Yeah, well, I'm not dumb enough to fall for my enemy." Kuriimu said, "I bet this mission would do better if Deep Blue sent you home."

Kish let out a low growl from the back of his throat, "We're the strongest four left on our planet under the age of forty; he can't send me back!"

Kuriimu sighed, "Such a shame, really. I don't get what you see in that pink cat."

"I don't get what Tart sees in that money girl." Kish said.

"Kish!" Tart whined, "Shut up! I do _not_ like her! At all!"

"Right, right, you keep telling yourself that." Kish said, smirking.

"Shut up!" Tart yelled.

"All of you shut up!" Pai ordered, "I have been tracking the mews for the past few days, they seem to be planning to head somewhere, my guess is that they've got another mew somewhere and are searching to find her."

"Great." Kish said sarcastically, "Yet another mew to deal with."

"I say we follow them." Kuriimu said, "It'll be interesting, and maybe we'll find the girl before they do and we can destroy her then and there. She won't be a problem then."

Kish stopped listening when Kuriimu suggested following them, he had other things on his mind, "_Follow them, huh?_" He thought, "_Maybe that's not such a bad idea, I could get to see Ichigo a lot…she's so pretty…my kitten…_"

"Pai!" Kish shouted, making Tart jump, "We're going to follow the mews!"

"Please tell me this doesn't have something to do with Mew Ichigo." Pai said.

"If it does then you'll just have to deal with it." Kish said, "So, when do they leave?"

"Today." Pai said.

It was already one hour into the car ride when Ichigo had a thought, where would they be staying? She decided to ask.

"Hey, Ryou?" She called from her place in the farthest backseat.

"What?" Ryou answered from the seat in front of her, Minto, sitting in the seat across from him, listened to what the cat girl had to say.

"Where are we going to be staying?" Ichigo asked.

"Berry Sky Farm." Ryou answered, "Its Kei's farm, apparently this town doesn't get to many newcomers, everyone there is pretty friendly and trusting."

"It's seems an awful lot to be taking in five girls," Retasu said, "Plus you and Keiichiro-san, are you sure it won't be to much for him?"

"He said he'd be happy to let us stay," Ryou said, "With the exception that we help around the farm."

"Ew!" Minto said, "I _refuse_ to stick my hand under a chicken's _ass_!"

Ichigo, Retasu, and Purin, the three in the farthest backseats, began giggling. Ryou rolled his eyes and sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose, "Minto, _please_ don't be hard about this."

"Well sor-ry, but farm life has never exactly been my ideal living!" Minto snapped.

"Well," Keiichiro spoke up, "If it makes things any easier for you, they have horses there; I heard you can ride them too."

"Really?" Minto asked, "Horse back ridding…surprisingly I've never tried such a fancy."

"Its fun," Ryou said, "I used to do it when I was little."

"Oh? Is it hard?" Minto asked, "Or is it as easy as it seems?"

"It's not too hard, once you get used to it." Ryou answered her.

"What other aminals do they have, na no da?!" Purin exclaimed.

"The other _animals_ on the farm," Ryou began, correcting the girl with emphasis, "are usual farm animals; sheep, cows, chicken, pigs."

"We won't have to get all muddy and stuff, will we?" Ichigo asked.

"All depends on the farm's land," Ryou said, "Some farms are muddy, some aren't."

Ichigo sighed and leaned her elbow on the armrest next to the window and looked out at the barren world that passed by, they were out in the middle of nowhere, and she knew that some people called this home, yet to her; a totally new world.

* * *

Well, that's it. I hope you enjoyed it! Contructive criticism is appreciated, if anyone even wants me to continue. Thanks for reading though!

Purin: BYE BYE, NA NO DA!

*gasp* How'd you get here?!


	2. He Got a Kiss

Me: I know I haven't gotten any reviews, but I was bored so I wrote another chapter. This one is better than the first I think, plus the four girls come in. Though I think it's rather obvious as to who the mew is.

Kish: No, you think? (sarcastic)

Me: . No one asked you. Oh, and I also forgot something important in the first chapter, the disclaimer: Tokyo Mew Mew and all of it's characters belong to Mia Ikumi and someone else who's name I can never remember, I do not own it in any way and never will. I just own my OCs.

Kish: Now, on with the story...

"Talking" "_Thinking_"

* * *

The aliens sat atop what human's called a "gas station", grateful for the break after two hours of fast flying and dodging trees to follow them, all without being seen. The girls were in the small shop of the _Stop-And-Go_ gas station, each getting something to snack on and drink for the rest of the ride.

Purin skipped out first, followed by Retasu and Mint, and then Ichigo and Zakuro, Ryou had waited in the car and Keiichiro was pumping the gas.

Tart sighed, "I'm so thirsty!"

Kish smacked him upside the head, "No complaining!"

"You're one to talk." Tart mumbled sarcastically, rubbing the back of his head.

"Let's go," Pai said, carefully watching as Keiichiro slid into the front passenger seat and Zakuro into the driver's seat. "They're moving again."

Zakuro pulled around a house, to the back as Kei had said to, parking near the backdoor. They had finally arrived to Berry Sky Farm after the long, four hour car ride. Everyone piled out, looking around, some ways behind the house was the barn, big and red with a silver roof made of metal, there were a few chickens wandering around near what looked like a dog door off to the side of the barn entrance.

Suddenly, the backdoor opened and a small, elderly woman with curly, grayed hair walked out, holding two painted-green wire baskets.

"Oh, hello." She said, adjusting her glasses, "You must the people from the city."

"Uh, yes," Keiichiro said, walking up to her, "We are, is Kei Chikyuuhoshi around perhaps?"

"Oh, yes, he's in the garage working on the tractor," The woman said, "It's been breaking down a lot since winter. My name is Bara, Kei's wife, and you are…?"

"Keiichiro Akasaka." Keiichiro said, "And these are Ichigo Momomiya, Minto Aizawa, Retasu Midorikawa, Purin Fon, Zakuro Fujiwara, and Ryou Shirogane." He gestured to each as he said their name.

"Oh, well a pleasure to meet you all," Bara smiled, "I'm afraid I must be going now, the girls will come and help you unload your things." She opened the backdoor and called for them, "Kuri, Mikuru, Cookie, Cherry! Come help these people with their things!"

"Hai!" A muffled reply was heard and four girls walked out as Bara headed for the barn.

Once had hip-length brown hair and light brown eyes, the girl to her left had white hair that curled into sausage ringlets and light silver eyes, the girl to her right had dark brown hair that curled into loose ringlets and red eyes, the girl with white hair was holding a five or six year old girl with short black hair that spiked downwards, and light silver eyes.

"Hi," The one with light brown eyes said, "You must be the people from the city Grandpa said were coming."

"Yes." Keiichiro said.

"I'm Kuri," She said, "And this is Mikuru, my sister," She gestured to the girl with white hair, "And these are our cousins, Cookie," She gestured to the little girl, "And Cherry." Then to the girl with red eyes. "You must be…Keiichiro, Ryou, Ichigo...Retasu, Purin, Minto, and...Zakuro, right?"

"Yeah, the woman, Bara-" Ryou started.

"Our grandmother," Kuri interrupted, "Told us to help you unload, we know."

"Lets get to it then." Cherry said. Mikuru put Cookie down and they got to work.

* * *

After they had gotten everything settled with where they would be sleeping and who would be working with who, it was already four in the afternoon and they had to go out to take care of the animals.

Ichigo was with Mikuru and currently watching the water fill in a tub for the sheep. She sighed, wondering how much longer it would take for the water to reach where Mikuru had told her to turn it off. Said white haired girl was getting the hay.

Unknown to both of them, they were each being watched, but one certain alien decided to make his presence known. Looking out to the large pasture outside the barn, Ichigo suddenly felt pressure on her lips, her eyes squeezed closed out of surprise. When the culprit back away, all that Ichigo could sputter was, "K-K-Kish?"

The alien chuckled, "Hello, Kitten, are you surprised?"

She reached up and pinched his ear, "What the _hell_ are you doing here?" She whispered harshly so Mikuru wouldn't hear.

Kish cringed in pain, "Ooooow, Kitty Kat, let go! That hurts!"

Ichigo released him, "Tell me what you're doing here!"

"I just came to see you, is that such a crime?" Kish asked, rubbing where Ichigo pinched his ear. Said girl glared at him, he sighed, "Fine, Pai figured out that you girls were going somewhere and then Kuriimu, my brother, had the bright idea to follow you."

Ichigo groaned, "You have a _brother_? Isn't one of you enough?"

Kish raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Is your brother anything like you?" Ichigo asked.

Kish shook his head, "Not really."

"Well, then I guess it won't be so bad so long as he doesn't start stalking me too." Ichigo said, she checked the water and reached over to the valve to turn it off. Kish watched as a calico cat walked by, stopping suddenly when it spotted him and then darting off into a different part of the barn.

"So, what's Kitten doing?" Kish asked, sitting cross-legged in the air.

"I'm helping Mikuru feed and water the sheep." She answered, "And speaking of her, you need to leave before she gets back."

Kish pouted, "Must I?" Ichigo glared at him again, "Fine, fine, but I will be seeing you soon kitty." With that, he teleported away just as the white haired girl came down the stairs leading to the hayloft.

"Who was here?" Mikuru asked as she dumped the hay out of the white bag into what looked like a large dog bowl.

"Oh, no one, I was just…talking to myself!" Ichigo made up a quick excuse.

"You just had to say hello, didn't you?" Kuriimu asked Kish.

"Ah, shut up." Kish said, "At least I got a kiss."

"So, who was the white haired girl?" Kuriimu asked, staring rather intently at Mikuru as she and Ichigo walked out of the barn.

"What's this? And you were saying something about _me_ falling for my enemy?" Kish teased.

"I-I'm not _falling_ for her!" Kuriimu said, blushing, "She might be the new mew. If there even is one."

"Right." Kish said sarcastically, "What ever you say. Oh, and her name's Mikuru." They both watched as they two girls went inside the house.

When the girls did get in, Ichigo pulled Ryou aside, "The aliens followed us here." She whispered to him, she glanced over at Cookie who was giving them a confused look from the living room couch.

"What?" Ryou whispered back, "Damn it…how'd they know?"

"Pai, he found out." Ichigo whispered.

"Who told you that?"

"Kish."

"He told you?"

"Well, it's not like it's that vital of information."

"True, but why?"

"Kish said his little brother, Kuriimu, had the idea to follow us."

"Great," Ryou whispered sarcastically, "Another alien to deal with."

"Well," Ichigo whispered. She jumped, startled, when she looked over and saw Mikuru sitting on the stairs right above them.

"Wow," Ichigo said, "You're quiet."

"What were talking about?" Mikuru asked.

"Oh, nothing, just a um, a game." Ichigo said.

"It was nothing important." Ryou said, walking away. Surprisingly, Mikuru actually looked convinced.

"Grandpa wanted me to tell you about the Farm Fair." Mikuru said.

"What's that?" Ichigo asked.

"It's like any other fair." Mikuru said, "There's rides, games, people bring animals to show off and they get judged and such…it's fun. You should come."

"Maybe we will." Ichigo said, she smiled at her and Mikuru got up, walking down the rest of the stairs.

* * *

Me: That's it for now.

Kish: Or possibly ever, do you think people are even reading this?

Me: I have a tiny thing called hope, it likes to sit on the tip of my little finger.

Kish: That small, huh?

Me: ....V.V Read and reveiw please...


	3. Farm Fair

Me: Yay! I got two reveiws! I'm so happy.

Kish: And you're forgeting to tell everyone something, two things actually.

Me: O.o what...? Oh, yeah! In a week, May 23, I will be moving to a farm in NY, one that me and my family have been visiting over the past several years. It's actually where I got the idea for this story! So if anyone has any questions about anything, I'll try to answer them as best as I can. Now, on with the _third_ chapter! But please keep in mind that I've never been to a Farm Fair, I'm just going off of what I've been told, so if I get anything wrong then sorry to the people who have been to one.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one except for my OC's.

* * *

Pai had gotten the earth fruit to study. Unfortunately for him, Kish was making this rather difficult by continuously eating them.

"You're eating strawberries _again_?" Kuriimu asked.

Kish shrugged, swallowing his bite, "So what? They're good." The truth was; they tasted like Ichigo, only he liked kissing her better.

"Pai didn't get them to eat, he got them to study." Kuriimu said.

"I care so much." Kish said sarcastically.

Kuriimu just sighed and sat down next to his brother on the stone steps in the alien dimension, stealing a strawberry from the bowl Kish had them in.

"So, when are we supposed to do out first attack?" He asked.

"Pai said not until he finds out who the new mew is," Kish answered, "But I think the best way to find out would be to just attack, she'd have to transform to fight."

"You have a point." Kuriimu said. Kish picked up the last strawberry, a tiny one, and ate it, tossing the leaf back into the bowl.

"Well, I'm bored, I'm going to go see what Konecko-chan is up to," He said, "Want to come? I bet Mikuru will be there." He teased.

Kuriimu blushed, giving him a look, "Sure, why not?"

* * *

Ichigo changed from work clothes into a pair of denim shorts, a light pink Strawberry Shortcake t-shirt, and her boots.

It had been decided; the girls were going to go to the Farm Fair with Kei and Kurumi -Kuri and Mikuru's older brother- while Ryou and Keiichiro stayed at the farm.

Kei slid into the driver's seat of his big, red truck, "You kids just hop on into the back," He'd told them, "It's legal around here, top or not."

(A/N: Actually, where I will be its only legal if you're going from farm to farm.)

"Um, okay." Retasu said. Kurumi pulled down the back so they could climb in.

Ichigo sat in the left corner, next to the back window on the cab, and Mikuru was sitting across from her, Kuri was next to her and Cherry was next to her with Cookie between her legs next to Minto and Zakuro, with Retasu and Purin sitting against the opposite side. Kurumi was upfront, in the cab with Kei.

Sitting on the roof of the house, Kish and Kuriimu were wondering where they were heading off to, silently deciding to follow them, they took off high in the sky as they truck pulled out, driving down the long driveway and onto the rode.

* * *

Kei parked in the dirt-made parking lot near the fair.

"Wow!" Ichigo said, she could see a Ferris wheel, there were also tents and like Mikuru had said, it looked like a regular fair. The only really big differences were that people were walking around with cows and horses and sheep, some people had hens and roosters in large rabbit cages, a few little kids had rabbits.

"Oh, they're doing a dance again this year." Mikuru said, looking over at an open tent that had DANCE: EIGHT PM written on a piece of paper that was taped to it.

"Like you can dance," Kurumi said, helping her off of the back of the truck, "The last you danced, you nearly broke your ankle."

"But she's been more agile recently," Kuri said, elbowing her older brother in the ribs, "Remember?"

"_Recently?_" Ichigo wondered, "_I wonder if she's our girl…?_"

"Ichigo!" Kuri called, "What's the hold up?!" Ichigo looked up and saw that they were several feet ahead of her.

"Ah!" She ran to catch up.

"A Farm Fair, huh?" Kish and Kuriimu were floating high above the slightly crowded place. "I have an idea."

"What?" Kuriimu asked.

Instead of answering, he teleported away, chuckling, and knowing that his brother would follow.

"What's your great idea?" Kuriimu asked once they got to the alien dimension.

"We hide our ears, find some human clothes," Kish began, "And use our "alien abilities" to change out eye colors. The girls will never know."

"Okay, sounds interesting, but how would we hide our ears?" Kuriimu asked.

"Simple," Kish said, "Hats."

Kish was wearing a dark green t-shirt, jeans that had rips over his knees, and a camouflage beanie. Kuriimu was wearing a white t-shirt that had GOT MILK? written across his chest, jeans, and a black beanie.

"The black looks weird against you silver hair." Kish said.

"Shut up." Kuriimu said, "It looks fine."

"Whatever, let's just go already." Kish said.

They reappeared behind a white tent that had a few sheep in it. Mikuru and Ichigo were standing at the entrance, behind the metal fence.

Kuriimu raised an eyebrow, "What are the white, puffy things?"

"They're called sheep." Kish said, "It's an earth animal."

They both watched as the two girls played with the lambs, Mikuru reached her hand in, bending over and apparently not noticing that the skirt of her black and white plaid dress was almost hiked up to the point where you could see her underwear, but not quite, as she pet a lamb on the head.

Retasu was looking at the rabbits while Purin did a performance of tricks outside the tent, they didn't know where Zakuro was, and Minto was last seen drinking iced tea at a shaded picnic table.

"So," Ichigo said, "This is your lamb?"

"One of them." Mikuru said, "The other two are back at Grandpa's farm, he wanted me to bring him this year."

"What's his name?" Ichigo asked.

"Domino." Mikuru answered, and it was a good name for the guy too, he had a big, brown spot on his white body that made his look like a domino. She giggled when the lamb tried to eat her black, plastic bracelet.

"Why'd your grandfather want you to bring him?" Ichigo asked.

Mikuru stood up strait and sighed, drawing her hand back and resting both on the metal fence, "I'm not sure, probably just to keep an eye on him; his front right ankle is twisted."

"Let's go." Kish said. They walked up to the tent, pretending to look at the sheep.

"So," Kuriimu said, "One of these guys yours?" He looked over at Mikuru and Ichigo.

Mikuru looked like she going to say something but nothing ever came out, so Ichigo spoke up, "This one is Mikuru's!" She pat Domino on the head.

"He's a cute little guy." Kuriimu said.

"You…" Mikuru said, "Aren't from around here…are you?"

"_Shit!_" Both Kish and Kuriimu mentally cursed.

"Um, no," Kish said, "No, we're not, we just…we're visiting."

"Who?" Mikuru asked.

"No one." Kuriimu said, "We, uh…needed a break from the city."

At first, they didn't think she bought it, but then she looked back to the sheep, only saying, "Oh."

After a few long seconds, Mikuru looked up at Kuriimu and said, "You shouldn't have worn a white shirt…if this is your first time here."

Kuriimu raised an eyebrow, "You're wearing white."

Mikuru looked down at her clothing; a strapless black and white plaid dress that ended a few inches above her knees that had a ruffled skirt with three layers and black lace around the edges of each layer with a white t-shirt underneath.

"I've been doing this a while." She said.

"And how does that make a difference?" Kuriimu asked.

"You know what to look out for." Mikuru said.

"Okay." Kuriimu said, looking back at the sheep.

Ichigo sighed, looking around, "Hey Mikuru lets play some games or something!"

"What should we play?" Mikuru asked.

"How about…" Ichigo looked around, "That aiming one where you throw the ball at the glass jars?"

"Mind if we tag along?" Kish asked, "Since we're new to this and all?"

"Uh, sure, I guess." Ichigo said, she didn't notice Mikuru giving them a wary look. But then again, Mikuru was wary of all strangers.

"Wow!" Ichigo watched as Kish aimed perfectly at the jar and threw the ball at it, causing all six to fall to the ground.

"Congratulations!" The woman behind the counter said, "Pick a prize! Anyone you want!"

"Hmmm…." Kish looked up at all the stuffed animals, and then at Ichigo, she was looking at a dark green cat plushy with big, beady red eyes. "That one."

The girl took the animal down and handed it to him, "Here," Kish said, holding it out to Ichigo, she blushed.

"F-for me?" She asked.

Kish nodded, "Yep, for you!"

Ichigo blushed a deeper red and took it, "Thanks!"

"Mikuru!" They heard a voice call distantly, "Ichigo! Where are you two?!" It was Cherry.

"Over here!" Mikuru instantly spun in the direction her voice was coming from and yelled, waving for her.

"Ah, there you two are!" The brunette jogged up to them, Cookie straddled on her hip. "Grandpa wants you to help Kuri with the horses."

"Alright." Mikuru said.

"Who are these two?" Cherry asked, raising an eyebrow at Kish and Kuriimu.

"Oh, these are…" Ichigo looked at a loss; they didn't even know the two guys' names, "Um…"

"K…uh, Key." Kish said. "And this is my brother, uh, Curry."

"Riiight," Cherry said, she turned back to her cousin, "Well, Cookie wants to see the cows, so, later."

"Later." Mikuru said, "Well, let's go then."

The horse tent was huge and had at least ten or eleven horses in it.

"Twelve actually," Kuri answered when Ichigo had asked.

Kish whistled, "They're pretty big."

"Um…duh?" Kuri said, "They're _horses_, of course they're big, unless it's like, a baby, a Shetland pony, something of the like."

The horse that Kuri was holding the leash of jumped up onto it's hind legs and stomped down, just before it did Mikuru grabbed Ichigo's shoulder and leapt out of the way while Kuriimu and Kish got splatters of dirt all over them.

Kuriimu looked down at his white-with-brown-spots shirt that used to be all white and Kish wiped stuff from his face.

"I warned you." Mikuru said.

"Um, yes, well," Kuri said, "Lets just get this guy back into his pen." She led him over to a wood-made stall and put him in, locking the latch after she got out.

"What kind of horse is he?" Ichigo asked.

"An American Cream Draft," Kuri said, "He's pretty well taken care of too." She petted the horse on the nose and fed him some hay.

Later that evening, after they got everything settled with the horses, it was sunset and Ichigo, Mikuru, Kuriimu, and Kish, both of which were still pretending to be Key and Curry, walked past the sheep again. When Kuriimu glanced in, he swore he saw Pai.

He stopped, making Kish stop as well, "Hey…isn't that Pai in the sheep tent?"

Kish looked over, "Yeah…what's he doing?"

"I'm not sure, but…I think he's doing something with Mikuru's lamb!" Kuriimu said.

"Who's doing what with Domino?" Mikuru asked, not having heard the rest of the conversation.

"What's up with your lamb?" Ichigo asked.

"Uh…!" Both of the boys had to think fast, but before they could, a loud _riiiiiiip_ sound was heard and a metal fence hit the floor, letting all the sheep loose except for one.

* * *

Me: Mwaha! Cliffy! Or, as close to one as I can get. I'm not very good at cliff-hangers. I know the rest of this chapter was rather boring, but the next will be less borning, promise! Oh, and just so people know, Domino is a real lamb and yes, he did hurt his ankle, though we think he pinched a nerve in his neck or something when he tripped, but he's doing better now.

Kish: Bye for now, please read and reveiw so I can finally get to be with Ichigo! *someone off to the side whispers in his ear* Oh, yeah, and so Kuriimu can be with Mikuru.


	4. Metamorphosis

Me: Okay, so I'm keeping this story going for like, three people. Oh well, at least someone likes it.

Disclaimer: Must I say this every time? I own nothing!

* * *

The wind picked up and the sky grayed as people began to run, screaming.

"Damn it!" Kuriimu cursed, though only Kish could hear him, "He used Mikuru's lamb!"

Ichigo ran off, "Ichigo!" Mikuru yelled, running after her.

Kish wanted to follow her too, but he knew that that wouldn't be such a great idea.

"MEW MEW STRAWBERRY! METAMORPHOSIS!" With a pink light, Ichigo transformed into Mew Ichigo, unaware that Mikuru had seen her do it.

The Chimera Anima, a large, white, wooly sheep that was at least six feet tall with glowing yellow eyes and sharp, curling horns, charged for Mikuru, but Ichigo ran over, picking her up bridal style, and dropping her off next to Kuriimu.

"Run!" She yelled to all of them.

"Ribbon…Mint Echo!" A blue arrow shot at the anima and hurt it, but didn't kill it.

"No!" Mikuru screamed, "Don't hurt him!" She tried to run in front of him but Kuriimu grabbed both of her elbows. Mikuru yanked free and ran to him anyway, even when Kuriimu called after her. She grabbed Ichigo's arm just as she was about to fire at him, "Please! Don't hurt him!"

"He won't get hurt!" Ichigo said, "He's trapped inside an alien parasite!"

Mikuru looked shocked, though mostly confused, and let go of Ichigo's arm.

"Ribbon…Strawberry Surprise!" Ichigo fired an attack but it missed, soaring off somewhere into the sky.

"Ribbon…Lettuce Rush!" Was heard in the distance, followed by, "Ribbon…Pudding Ring Inferno!"

Masha floated over and opened his mouth to give something to Mikuru, something small and gold popped out of his mouth and Mikuru caught it, it was a mew pendant.

The words came to her, "MEW MEW MILK! METAMORPHOSIS!"

She was surrounded by a white light and when it faded, she was wearing white short overalls with a white strapless sports bra like top under it, a silver bow was around under her chest with the bow on her upper back, it looked sort of like the bows on the Café Mew Mew uniforms only it was smaller and the ribbons came down to where her overalls ended. Her shoes were silver, ankle high boots and she had silver gloves, the bands around her neck, arms, and left thigh were white with silver edging, and she had small, brown sheep ears, a little brown sheep tail, and tiny sheep horns above her ears.

Ichigo grabbed her hand, "Come on!" She shouted, "You have to help us save Domino!"

Mikuru looked too shocked and scared to speak at first, but then she looked determined and nodded.

"We have to get to the other mews!" Ichigo took off, still holding Mikuru's hand so they wouldn't get separated as they looked for the mews.

Kuriimu and Kish were now back in their normal clothes, hovering a few feet behind Pai.

"And where have you two been?" Pai asked.

"Oh, just, you know, around." Kish answered.

"Girls!" Ichigo yelled as they ran up to the four other mews.

"Ichigo!" Minto called, "You found the new girl?"

"Yup, she was with me all along!" Ichigo said.

"Lets all try attacking at once!" Zakuro said, the girls nodded in agreement and summoned their weapons.

"Strawberry Bell!"

"Mint Arrow!"

"Lettuce Castanets!"

"Pudding Rings!"

"Zakuro Cross!" -I forget what her weapon is called, sorry if that's not it-

"Milk Music!" A short white staff appeared in her hands, it had a silver ball thing on the bottom, a silver circle on the top with a gold cow bell dangling inside it and a pink bow under the circle.

"Ribbon…!" All the girls said at once.

"Strawberry Surprise!"

"Minto Echo!"

"Retasu Rush!"

Pudding Ring Inferno!"

"Zakuro Pure!" -I forget her attack too, so sorry-

"Milk Lullaby!"

A large blast of mixed colors, pink, blue, green, yellow, purple, and white, shot out at the anima and hit it, destroying it.

"Domino!" Mikuru ran to her confused lamb, sitting on the grass and pulling him onto her lap so she could cuddle him as Masha ate the parasite. Despite what had just happened to him, Domino started to graze on the grass as Mikuru started playing with his wool.

* * *

It was at least ten at night by the time everyone got back home, Mikuru returned Domino to his heard, safe and sound, and now all the mews plus Ryou and Keiichiro, were in the kitchen, they weren't sure where everyone else wandered off to. It had taken forever to convince Kei, Bara, Kurumi, Cherry, Cookie, and Kuri that Mikuru had taken cover with Ichigo when all the craziness started.

"Well," Ryou said, leaning back against the wall, "I guess we found our new mew."

"What now?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't want to go to the city." Mikuru said, staring down at the table.

Ichigo sighed, wondering what had happened to Key and Curry, they couldn't find them after the aliens attacked, but she did manage to find the green cat Key had won her, she buried her face into the top of its head. "Well, I'm not sure if there's any other way. I mean, no matter what the aliens will keep attacking and if they go back to Tokyo City while we're still here, they'd win."

"Or," A new voice entered the room, "You could leave me sister _here_, where she _belongs_." They all looked to the doorway between the kitchen and living room, Kuri, Cherry, and Cookie were standing there.

"If Mikuru was a mew mew, why didn't you guys tell us?" Cherry asked.

"We're very sorry, but we didn't know." Keiichiro said.

"So then, those aliens will keep trying to kill her?" Kuri asked.

"Well," Keiichiro sighed, "Yes."

Kuri threw her hands up, "Great! Just great! Why did you inject her in the first place? Isn't _five_ enough to fight off _three_ aliens?" Obviously, the girl was rather angry.

"Actually," Ryou said, "There are four aliens now and it was an accident, I didn't mean to inject your sister."

"Please don't fight!" Retasu begged.

Purin pouted, "I didn't see Tar-Tar at the fair though, na no da."

"So?" Ryou asked.

"Maybe they sent him back." Minto said. Purin gasped.

"This mew mew thing," Kuri said, "If anything happens to Mikuru, we _will_ kill you."

Ryou sighed, "Don't worry; I've been prepared for something like that ever since I took my father's project over."

Kuri narrowed her eyes at him, "Good"

"So, what animal is she even injected with?" Minto asked.

"A Leicester Longwool." Ryou answered.

"Hey, what about that temporary Café Mew Mew?" Ichigo asked, "We've been here like, three days and we haven't even been over there."

"Temporary?" Cherry asked, "So you do plan on going back to the city then?"

"Eventually, yes," Ryou said, "And we're supposed to be going over there on Sunday, to set everything up."

Ichigo huffed, "Great, we go out to the middle of _nowhere_ and we _still_ have to work at the café!" Kuri, Mikuru, Cookie, and Cherry giggled.

* * *

Mikuru sat on the wood floor, her knees bent and her arms wrapped around them, staring at the floor. The Farm Fair was being held again, due to the "strange mishaps" from only they day before, they -whoever ran the thing- decided to retry it. It was eight 'o clock at night and she had gotten dressed up for seemingly nothing, but her grandmother insisted that she wear something nice for the dance. She was wearing a knee-length black skirt with a button-up white shirt that had slightly puffy short sleeves, and cowgirl boots, her hair up in pigtails. Cherry was dancing with Tatsuya, a boy that goes to their school, Cookie had dragged some poor kid out to the dance floor, Kuri was dancing with yet another boy that goes to their school, Minto and Zakuro were both dancing with boys she'd never met before, Ichigo was dancing with Ryou, Keiichiro was dancing with Ms. Mizu, Cherry's science teacher, Retasu was dancing, or attempting to, with some random boy she'd never seen before, and Purin was spinning around a boy that Mikuru knew from helping the second grade students at her school. His name was Kaji, a kid with spiked red hair and dark gray eyes. He seemed to be enjoying himself with Purin.

"So," Kish said, sitting on the roof of the building the dance was being held in, "They're doing the Farm Fair thing again."

Kuriimu, sitting next to Kish, playfully elbowed him in the side, "Hey, let's pretend to be human again and go in there."

Kish raised an eyebrow at him, "Why?"

Kuriimu smirked, "You'd be able to dance with Ichigo."

Kish grinned, "You're right. Let's go!"

After waiting a few minutes for Kuriimu, Kish sighed, "Are you ready yet?"

"Yup, let's get out there." Kuriimu said, walking out of his room.

Kish was wearing baggy camouflage pants with a black t-shirt and a black beanie to cover his ear, and Kuriimu was wearing jeans with a gray t-shirt and a red beanie.

They walked into the room, looking around, once Kish saw Ichigo he felt a twinge of jealously wave through him; his kitten was dancing with the blond guy. Kuriimu looked around but couldn't see Mikuru, he didn't know why but he wanted to dance with her. He looked back over at Kish but he was already on his way to interrupt Ryou and Ichigo's dancing.

He sighed and walked down the side of the dance floor, where the tables and chairs were set up. Since he was looking out at the dance floor rather than paying attention to where he was going, he tripped over something, something that squeaked in surprise and began apologizing while trying to help him up.

"I'm sorry!" The voice sounded small and cute; he'd heard the voice before.

"I'm okay, really." He said. When he looked up, he saw Mikuru, sitting on the floor next to him. She looked like she thought she was in trouble. He smiled at her, "Hey, you're that girl from yesterday, Mikuru, right?"

"Um…" A blank look crossed her face, "I…I am, you are…Curry, right?"

"Uh, yeah, Curry." Kuriimu said, he'd almost forgotten about the fake name Kish had given him.

Kuriimu stood up and so did Mikuru, "You, uh, you want to dance?" He asked.

An almost scared look came upon the girl's face as she recalled the last time she tried to dance, "I-I…I can't…"

"I'll teach you!" Kuriimu grinned and pulled her onto the dance floor just as _Love Story_ by _Taylor Swift_ started to play from the loud speakers on the stage.

* * *

Me: Ta da! So, I kind of already wrote the next chapter 'cause I was all bored and stuff and my mom already has pretty much the whole house packed. It has much KxI fluffs in it, and also a little KuriimuxMikuru! And I think the song fits it perfectly.

Kish: Yay! I finally get to-

Me: *stuff Cheshire Cat pillow in his face* Don't ruin it! Yeesh, you're as bad as my brother! Anyway, read and reveiw please!


	5. Baby, Just Say Yes

Me: Yay, my story is starting to do a little better!

**To: Ryou's_fan_girl**: Thank you!!!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!!!

_

* * *

_

_We were both young when I first saw you,  
__I close my eyes  
__And the flashback starts,  
__I'm standing there,  
__On a balcony in summer air._

The song played through the room as people danced to it, swaying around the room with whomever they were dancing with. Ichigo was dancing with Kish, though she didn't know it was him, she thought it was some random guy that he'd met the day before named Key. Ryou had gone off to dance with someone else when Kish asked if he could dance with Ichigo and she said yes, which made him unbelievably happy.

_See the lights,  
__See the party, the ball gowns,  
__I see you make your way through the crowd and say hello,  
__Little did I know,_

Kish's eyes seemed to glitter in the dim light of the dance room, unfortunately for him though, and for his brother, they both forgot to change their eye colors.

Ichigo found the happy glint in Key's eye rather familiar, she slightly narrowed her eyes at him, trying to remember where she'd see it before. Then it clicked, when she noticed the difference in his eyes from when she'd first met him and now; they had been brown before and they were gold now. This wasn't any human boy, this was Kish.

_That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles  
__And my daddy said stay away from Juliet  
__And I was crying on the staircase  
__Begging you please don't go, and I said_

Ichigo glanced down before turning away from Kish and quickly making her way towards the double wooden doors.

"Ichigo?" She heard Kish calling after her, clearly confused.

_Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
__I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run  
__You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
__It's a love story, baby, just say yes._

But she just kept walking away and once she was outside she was nearly running, the cool night air lightly brushing her soft skin.

"Ichigo!" And Kish was following. The music from inside was distant now. "Ichigo! Wait! What's wrong?!"

"Go away, _Kish_!" Ichigo yelled over her shoulder at him.

Kish paused for only a second before continuing to follow her, "Wha…how'd you know?"

"Because I- it's your- ugh! Never mind!" She yelled.

"Would wait a sec and let me explain?!" Kish yelled as he was still following her.

"What's there to explain?! It's exactly what it looks like, isn't it?!"

Kish had had enough of this, he teleported right behind her and grabbed her, wrapping both his arms around her, trapping her arms to her sides, "But that's just it! It's _not_ what it looks like!"

"Then what _is_ it, Kish?!" Ichigo yelled as she began to struggle. "You tricked me, making me think you were…that you were someone else!"

"Ichigo, would you just let me explain?" Kish said, holding her down so she couldn't escape. "I wasn't trying to…I mean- I just- I wanted to-" He sighed as she stopped struggling, "Kitten…please, I just wanted you to see me as someone who wasn't your enemy, someone you don't hate…" His voice lowered to a whisper as he finished.

Ichigo stared at the ground; did he really think she hated him? "Kish…I don't hate you."

Kish chuckled, though it sounded sad, "Well kitty, it sure feels like it…but please, just…give me a chance, that's all I'm asking, is for a chance…please."

Ichigo sighed, "We're enemies-"

"So we'll hide it," Kish interrupted, "No one has to know, just you and me. "

Ichigo thought it over, thinking of pretty much everything possible about this situation, "Fine, but if you try _anything_, you're so dead."

Kish let her go and she turned around to face him, he was rather surprised to see that she'd been crying. He took her face in his hands and wiped away her tears, he smirked, "No worries, I won't try anything I don't think you won't aprove of...so, can I have a kiss?"

"Hey, I said you get a _chance_," Ichigo said, blushing, "That doesn't mean I love you or that we're officially going out."

Kish sighed dramatically and pouted, then he remembered something, "Wait, what happened to the tree- or, uh, that human…person…what's-his-name." Kish couldn't seem to remember Ichigo's boyfriend's name.

"Masaya?" Kish nodded, "Oh, well…we've been kind of on and off for the past few months, we're off right now."

"Ah, troubles in the fake paradise, huh?" Kish said.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "Fake paradise?"

"Well, seeing as I'm the only one that can take you to any _real_ paradise…" He trailed off, smirking.

Much to his surprise, Ichigo giggled, it was the first time he'd heard her laughing at something he had said and it was like music to his ears, he smiled at her. "Wanna finish that dance?"

Ichigo smiled up at him and blushed, "Sure."

Kish grinned, teleporting them to behind the miniature barn-like building that the dance was being held in, they could hear the music just fine but no one could see them.

"Wait," Ichigo said, suddenly looking concerned, "What about Curry? That's actually Kuriimu isn't it?"

"Don't worry," Kish said, "He doesn't know it yet, but he's falling in love with Mikuru, he won't do anything to her." Ichigo looked rather surprised. Inside, Mikuru was still completely unaware as to whom she was actually dancing with.

_Romeo, save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel,  
__This love is difficult, but it's real,  
__Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess,  
__It's a love story, baby, just say yes._

* * *

Ichigo stretched in her sleeping bag on Mikuru and Kuri's bedroom floor, all the event of the previous night rushed back to her and she blushed.

_The song had just ended as Kish and Ichigo stood under the moonlight, her arms around his neck and his arms around her waist.  
__Ichigo's eyes seemed to glitter in the pale lighting, casting a pretty glow across her face. Kish couldn't help it, he leaned in and kissed her, and she surprised him by kissing him back._

Ichigo sighed and sat up, she didn't know why she kissed him back, but she guessed it had to do with the romantic setting. When she looked up at Mikuru's bed, she wasn't in it, Kuri wasn't in hers either, so Ichigo got up and got dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a red t-shirt that had a kitten on the front.

When she walked into the kitchen, she found Kuri and Minto sitting at the table, talking about the horses. Ichigo was surprised to see Minto wasn't wearing a skirt or dress like she usually did, instead she was wearing denim Capri pants and a little, white t-shirt that had Original Organic Mint Chocolate in fancy, brown letters across the front with a cute, café like display of mint filled chocolates.

"You look cute." Ichigo said.

Minto looked up her and smiled, "As always."

Ichigo smirked and rolled her eyes. "Where's Mikuru?" She asked.

"Hay loft probably." Kuri answered.

"She didn't wake me up?" Ichigo asked

Kuri shrugged, "She likes to sit up there alone sometimes; she finds it relaxing."

"Okay," Mikuru and Kuriimu were standing on top of one of the hay barrels, barefoot. Mikuru had her jeans rolled up to her knees for the game they were going to play, though it wasn't really necessary, it just made it easier for her to run. "Rule number one: you are not allowed to fly or teleport."

Kuriimu pouted and she went on, "Rule number two: you are not allowed to touch the floor; barrels only. But the walls are okay if you're going to fall. And rule number three: you're not allowed to stop unless you feel the barrel you're on start to slide. Ready?"

"Ready!" He grinned at her and they took off, running and jumping across the large barrels of hay.

They were hay racing, a human game Kuriimu had never heard of before, but it seemed fun, especially with the danger of the barrels possibly sliding out from under your feet at any given moment.

(A/N: Hay racing is awesome!)

Kuriimu jumped across to a barrel and just barely made it, only hanging on with his arms, he saw Mikuru leap across with experience and he scrambled to get up, running only a small ways behind her.

Once they got to the other end, Kuriimu was panting a little and leaning on his knees, while Mikuru was only slightly out of breath.

She stretched, "That was fun!"

Kuriimu smirked and stood up strait, "Yeah," He said breathily, "Even though I lost to a girl."

Mikuru giggled a little, "If I would have been Kuri, you would've lost long ago."

"She's that good?" Kuriimu asked. Mikuru nodded.

"She's used to having to run after her horses when they get out of their fence." Mikuru explained, "So she's a fast runner."

"Oh." Kuriimu sighed, they both sat down and stared out at the large field that was outside the barn, the hay loft was on the second story and there was a large window at the back that was from the floor to a few inches below that ceiling. They could see the field of grass that a few chickens were wandering around on, part of the west pasture, and a forest of trees were the property ended. It really was peaceful up there.

"Well," Kuriimu said, frowning, "I should get going before Pai notices I'm gone, if hasn't already." Mikuru nodded and he looked over at her, "See you around, I guess." Before she could say anything he teleported away, leaving her alone there.

She sighed and fell back onto the hay barrel, finding the familiar feeling of it pressing into her skin soothing. She didn't know why he'd come in the first place, all he had said was that he was bored. But he was her enemy, right? And why didn't she mind him hanging around? She sighed again and kicked her leg, letting fall back and hit the hay barrel with a soft rustling sound.

"Where've you been?" Kish asked, "I had to cover for you and tell Pai you went out to see what farm animal we could infuse next."

"Er…I was just…out." Kuriimu said.

Kish raised an eyebrow, "Dude, I've known you since birth; you were with Mikuru weren't you?" Kish smirked.

Kuriimu blushed a little, "M-maybe…but it's not like you don't go and bug Ichigo!"

Kish shrugged, "I'm not afraid to let people know that I'm in love with her."

Kuriimu's blush darkened, "I'm not in love with Mikuru."

"Then why were you doing…whatever it was that you were doing with her?" Kish said.

Kuriimu rolled his eyes, "We were hay racing, that's it."

Kish raised an eyebrow, "What's hay racing?"

"It's a human game," Kuriimu said, sounding annoyed.

Kish shrugged and said, "Whatever, hope you had fun. Oh, and Pai wants that report soon."

Kuriimu nodded, "I'll think of something. Hey, why'd he attack before we knew who the mew was anyway?"

"Psh, you got me." Kish said, "Maybe he got impatient or something."

"Actually," Pai said, just as he teleported into the room, "I heard what Kish said about just attacking without know who she was first, before you two went off to follow the humans to that "fair" thing."

"You…knew about that?" Kish asked. Pai nodded. "Oh…well, we just…um, we were trying to find her."

"Yeah!" Kuriimu said, "We were trying to find out who the mew was…"

"Mm hm," Pai said, though he didn't sound like he believed them at all, "And while you were trying to find the mew, you just _happened_ to run into Mew Ichigo and just _happened_ to play a game so you could impress her and win her a false animal toy."

"Er…yes?" Kish said, a guilty smile evident on his face.

"W-we did find the mew though!" Kuriimu said, "She was with us the whole time."

"True, but you did not know it was her, only that she was a mere human that you wanted to spend time with." Pai said, "Time in which you could have used to do valuable research." he turned and brought up his computer, "You two are under surveillance for the next week. No leaving the ship."

"What?!" Both boys whined in unison.

* * *

**Song: Love Story** **by** **Taylor Swift**

Me: Okay, so maybe it wasn't exactly "fluff" but it was cute! And oh no's! They're under surveillance! What will they do now?

Kish: O.o but...but I just got my kitty to give me a chance!!! You evil, evil person!!!

Kuriimu: Hay Racing isn't an actual sport! That's just what you call running over a bunch of hay bales, and I doubt it's actually that hard!

Me: For your information, Kuriimu, when the bales are far enough apart, it's quite hard. Especially when the person you're racing with runs like a freaking deer! Tiffany is freaking fast!

Kuriimu: Psh, that's just because you're short and she's tall.

Me: .... Read and Reveiw please.


	6. Cows

Me: Wow, it took a while to update this. So sorry to anyone who's been reading this! With the move to the farm and all, getting settled in and such, I've been a little busy, plus I have my other story and washing the eggs -which is my daily choir- is an all day job pretty much, and I was having a slight writer's block problem with this.

Kish: Took you long enough to update! I wanna see Ichigo!

Me: *rolls eyes* Oh quiet, you're still stuck on that ship with Kuriimu for the rest of the week. Anyway, on with the chapter!

**Disclaimer: I do not, will not, and will never own Tokyo Mew Mew in any way, shape, or form nor anything related to it save for my OC's.**

* * *

Ichigo hopped out of the van, landing on the cement pavement of the sidewalk in Sherly, the small town in which the new, temporary Café Mew Mew was going to be set up. The town look very old-western style, with the shops made of old wood and having a shutter broken on one of them. There was a sign hanging outside of the local saloon that read "Mallcom Saloon" with another one that read "Sherly Hotel" to its right. Another store had SHERLY HARDWARE painted on its front window with the small, old bookstore next to it. There was also an old-style pizzeria and a tiny gift store.

"Wow," Ichigo said, "This place looks…old."

Kuri giggled, "Well duh, that's because it is!"

"It's been since like, the dawn of time." Cherry joked.

Ichigo smirked and then let it fade away as she sighed, right after she'd agreed to give Kish a chance and he's nowhere to be seen for at least four days strait. This bugged her to no end, especially since she actually felt a little worried about him.

"_I wonder if he's okay…_" She thought to herself.

"Ichigo," Mikuru said, "Is something wrong?"

Ichigo looked at her and smiled brightly, hiding everything that was, in fact, wrong, "Nope, I'm fine!"

"Okay…" Mikuru said, though unlike most times when someone lied to her, she didn't look too convinced.

They walked into the small, abandoned-looking shop that they were going to turn into their café, it was Sunday already and it was time to set the place up. Mikuru, Kuri, and Cherry came along to help since Kei and Kurumi, the two that were supposed to have come, couldn't make it because of a pregnant cow that they had to look after. Cookie and Retasu also stayed home, the younger girl not being old enough to help and Retasu to look after her.

"Well, lets get this party started." Cherry said as they stood outside the small building.

Pai was closely, and very carefully examining the bull. This was the animal Kuriimu had said he'd looked at and was okay to use for a Chimera Anima. Though the results Pai was getting were quite different.

"I couldn't go," He heard a small voice say, "Papa said I was to small and not old enough to help them…but I wish I could, not that I don't like talking to you though…I love you…you're so cute…I think I'll name you Pooky!"

Pai looked over and saw a little girl, about five or six, sitting in the grass just outside the electric cow fence. She was talking to the cows? Standing, grazing, inside the fence, just in front of the girl, was small, brown calf that had a white patch over her left eye and her back right leg was also white. But why was this girl talking to the cow?

He teleported to a few feet behind her, wanting to know if it really was the cow she had been talking to.

"Oh! Did you know that Mikuru-oneechan is a mew mew?!" The little girl cried, "Yeah! She is! Oh, but don't tell anyone, it's a secret! Sssshhhhhh!" She held a finger to her lips as she shushed the cow.

"_Why_," Pai thought, "_Is this girl telling such a valuable secret to such a stupid animal? Can it even understand her?_"

The calf swung its head around, mooing, with a piece of hay hanging out of its mouth. The little girl twisted around and saw Pai.

"Hello!" She said, "Who are you?"

Pai looked down at the girl, quite surprised that she hadn't gone running at the sight of a stranger standing behind her, and a floating one at that. Deciding that she could be no dumber than the animal she was talking to, he told her, "My name is Pai."

"What're you doing?" She asked, falling onto her back so she didn't have to be twisting around just to look at him, but instead looking up at him.

"I am here to look at the cows." Pai said.

"Oh." The girl said, "My name is Cookie, and this little calfy cow is Pooky!"

Retasu huffed, running alongside the north cow pasture fence in search of Cookie, she'd only turned her back for a second and the little girl was gone! When she informed Kei, the girl's grandfather who was at the time trying to get the pregnant cow to stand up along with Kurumi, neither of the men seemed to worried.

"Oh, she does that sometimes," Kei had said, "She'd probably just sittin' with the cows, she likes that."

Coming back to the present, Retasu came to a halting stop when she finally spotted the girl, lying in the grass with someone…floating over her? Well, that was certainly unusual. She slowly and cautiously stepped closer and closer, easing her way towards Cookie and whoever it was that was with her, staying out of sight and as unheard as she could.

"…Why did you name the cow Pooky?" The voice was deep and masculine and rather familiar.

"'Cause he's cute!" Cookie squeaked in her usual, childish voice.

Retasu smiled at the girl's plain adorableness. "Is that the only reason?" The male voice asked. Retasu strained her ears, listening intently to his voice, trying to figure out why it was so familiar, as she lowered herself to the ground, near a fence post a few paces away from the two, hiding herself in the tall grass.

"Yup!" Cookie answered, she began squirming around in the lower-cut grass that she was laying in, fidgeting with the bow on the back of her shirt; it had been pressing into her back and was starting to hurt. She untied it and pulled the ribbons so they were stretched onto the grass. "Did you come to see Grandpa?"

"No," The man answered, "I did not come to see your grandfather."

"Then why are you here?" Cookie asked.

At this question, a thought struck Retasu, if he wasn't here for Kei, and she guessed not for Kurumi either, then what was he here for? She felt the stingy feeling of fear bubbling up inside her stomach, growing as the tall man answered Cookie.

"As I said before, I am here to look at the cows." The voice, as if sliding into it's rightful place in her memory, finally connected with to whom it belonged and Retasu now knew. Pai. It was Pai that was talking to the little girl, though she hadn't known sooner due to the fact that she was still to far away to really be able to see him clearly, only his tall, muscular figure.

Somehow, this seemed to make Retasu relax a bit rather than feel more worried that her enemy was talking to an innocent little girl, an innocent _human_ girl. What was Pai going to do? If he was even planning anything.

She sat, squatted in the grass, breathing slowly and deeply, moving her foot around as she felt something poking into the skin on her foot, it probably wasn't the best of ideas to have worn flip-flops out there, but she'd been too worried about Cookie to really care.

Pai slowly landed on the grass-covered ground, just next to the dirt path, and knelt down to examine the human child closer. She was rather…interesting. Instead of her skin being rough, to protect her from cold weather and dangerous happenings, it was soft and smooth and slightly tanned, contrasting prettily with her black hair and light gray eyes. She giggled, smiling up at him, her mouth spreading into a smile and showing a few of her teeth, though one of her canine teeth were missing, having fallen out to be replaced with an adult one, though the one that remained wasn't even sharp enough to tare flesh.

"Ow…" Retasu whispered as a thorn from somewhere on the ground poked her foot yet again.

Pai's ear twitched, someone was watching them. Glancing at Cookie for a mere seconded, he stood up, scanning the taller grass a few feet away.

"What're you looking for?" Cookie asked.

"Nothing." Pai answered flatly, he heard the little girl sigh. So far, he saw nothing that shouldn't be there…then he spotted it, the bright green in the tall, dark grass, it was much to light of a green to be anything but…well, obviously not the grass. "Who is there?" He called out, making his voice stern and powerful, hopefully scaring who or whatever it was that was there.

Retasu froze, had she been caught? Shakily, she slowly rose up from the ground, her right hand clasped around her left elbow and a rather guilty and apologetic look on her face. A light breeze blew as the two stared at each other, Pai was surprised to see her, of all the mews, had been spying on him, and Retasu, well, she was rather frightened.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" She said quickly, bowing a little at her waist, "I didn't mean to- I mean, I was just- I'm sorry!"

Pai mentally sighed. The green mew, from his observations, was the one mew that could be seen as the least of a threat, seeing as she was rather timid and shy and when Kish would go out to spy on Ichigo at work, he'd always how unfair it was that Retasu would "accidently" trip and brake something and Ichigo would be the one to have to clean it up, meaning she was rather clumsy, though this obviously was changed somehow during battle.

Cookie shot upright, pressing her hands into the ground for support as she grinned at Retasu, "Hiiiiiii Retasuuuuuuu!"

"Hi, Cookie-chan." Retasu said.

"This is Pai!" Cookie said, "He's a elf!"

Retasu looked slightly confused at this as she pushed her glasses further up her nose, "He's…an elf?"

Pai hid his blush; children could be so…stupid! He was not an elf! "No, Cookie." He said, "I am not an elf."

Cookie looked at him, eyes wide. "You're not? Then, what are you?"

Pai just shook his head, not bothering to answer the girl, and spoke to the mew, "I have not come to fight you."

Retasu glanced at the ground, confused by this statement, "Then…why are you here, if not to fight?"

He looked over at Pooky, the calf was still standing inside the fence, chewing on several blades of grass. "No reason."

Retasu shot a glance from him to the calf, instantly connecting why he was here, even though he'd said there wasn't any reason. He was there looking for an animal to use for a Chimer Anima. Shifting her weight from foot to foot rather nervously, she clumsily adjusted her glasses, accidently causing them to fall from her face and onto the ground.

"Oh!" she bent down and tried to search for them with little luck, her hands scanning over the ground.

Pai looked from the mew to Cookie, who had her eyes closed and looked asleep, though as to weather or not she really was Pai couldn't tell, so he flouted over to Retasu, not understanding why he was going to, but he did anyway. Kneeling down and picking up the girl's glasses, he handed them to her.

Retasu took them tentatively, "Oh…thank you." Pai merely looked away; secretly embarrassed to have helped his enemy, even though it was just retrieving her glasses. Retasu blinked a few times at him which, though he'd never admit it, not even to himself, he found rather cute.

"Um…" Blinking a few more times, Retasu stood up and walked around Pai, not quite sure what to make of the situation as she made her way towards Cookie, picking up the half-asleep girl and straddling her carefully on her hip. "Thank you." She said again before stepping onto the dirt path to head back to the house, leaving behind Pai who's head was spinning in a way he'd never felt before.

* * *

Me: Okay, so there. That's the chapter, and the reason for my writer's block is because I wanted to put some PxR in it but I couldn't figure out how to go about that, but I managed it I think. And to anyone who would like for me to keep up this story, I'm going to need reveiws because I can't keep going at two per chapter, sorry. But I NEED reveiws, it's the only way I know people are even liking this.

Kish: I wasn't even IN this chapter!

Me: Yeah, well, maybe in the next you will be.

Kish: O.o Maybe?

Me: *sigh* Oh, go bug Tasuku or something!

Kish: Tasuku isn't even in this story! That's your other one!

Me: I don't care! *huff* Read and Review please with cherries and sprinkles and sugar on top!


	7. The Letter

Me: Okay, so three reveiws is still more than two, though only by one, but right now, I just don't care.

Kish: Sorry about her, she's kind of been in a bad mood all day, they had to slaughter chickens today and she hates it, even more than the chickens themselves which she is somehow convinced that they are evil.

Me: . It has to do with this dream I had as a kid, so shut up. And yes, I haaaaaaaaate chicken butchering day, even more then the buggers we're killing *huff* but hey, it's done and over with now, we won't have to do it for like, another three weeks. But my MP3 player died like, a half hour before it was done so I had to listen to this really slow music that Pat had on for God only knows why, I was working the shop which is putting the labels on the chickens after they're all gutted and bagged and stuff and then I put them in the cooler box, which is like a walk-in fridge, and I was listening to Tokyo Mew Mew music up unil my plater _died_! And it was helping me go faster too, especially Koi wa A La Mode, which is like my favorite next to Ringo's songs, I love her songs! And it was also kind of keeping me somewhat of a better mood because it's so-

Kish: Um, Kiki?

Me: -upbeat and happy and stuff and-

Kish: Kyra!

Me: What?!

Kish: Shut up and get on with the story!

Me: *sigh* Sorry for rambling, I tend to do that after a long day, but Kish is right, it's time to get on with the story.

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi does not and will never own Tokyo Mew Mew nor anything related to it, only her OC's.**

* * *

Kish sat on his bed, his legs and arms crossed, glaring at the small, round camera that was flouting only a foot away from him. He _hated_ being under surveillance, it was worse than being under house arrest! Because now, not only could you not _go_ anywhere, you were also being _watched_ at all hours of the day and night by the monitoring guards.

Raising an eyebrow as his door slid open, Kish said to the intruder, "You could knock you know."

"Ah, shut it," Kuriimu said, sliding the door closed behind him as he stepped into the room, "I bet you're just grumpy 'cause you can't go bug that cat mew."

Kish rolled his eyes, "And you're just being annoying because that's the way you _always_ are." He grumbled.

Kuriimu sighed, shaking his head slowly, "You know, I figured out how to bust out of this place, but seeing as you're being such a jerk and all…" He turned to leave but Kish, despite his hardest efforts not to be, was rather interested in how his brother though they could leave the ship.

"Wait!" He called, uncrossing his arms and legs, "How do we get out?"

Kuriimu looked back over his shoulder, an obviously fake innocent look on his face, "Why, it's quite simple," He turned around now to fully face Kish, his innocent expression replaced with an evil one, "All you'd have to do is pretend you're taking a shower, the cameras can't follow us into the bathing facilities, though we'd only be able to do it one at a time if we didn't want it to be to suspicious."

Kish was more intrigued than he let show as he considered this, he needed a way to get to Ichigo, if only to explain his absence, she was probably furious with him by now since she'd _finally_ given him a chance and now…he hadn't gotten a chance to get off the ship in four days, almost five, Kish noticed, when he glanced at the holographic clock on his wall, reading eleven thirty.

He sighed, "Let me go first," His eyes lingered in the clock, watching the seconds' hand ticking away, "There's something I have to do."

Kuriimu pouted, grunting, "It's my plan! I should go first!"

Kish's eyes darted to his direction, shooting him an intense glare, "I don't care, I need to get out of here, I won't be gone to long."

Kuriimu sighed, "You'd better not be, Pai just got back from looking at cows and if you're in the shower for to long-"

"I get it," Kish said, rolling his eyes, "I'm not stupid."

Kuriimu snickered, causing him to receive yet another glare from his elder brother.

* * *

Ichigo sat on the edge of a large hay barrel, her legs dangling off the side as she sat under the moonlight. She was _supposed_ to be sleeping, but she couldn't seem to manage it, so she'd snuck out, deciding to try Mikuru's relaxing method by sitting in the hayloft. A light breeze blew and she wrapped her arms around herself, though it didn't help much seeing as all she was wearing was a pink tank top that had green noodle-straps and a pair of denim short-shorts, her feet warmed only by her ankle-high boots with the hot pink laces.

She reached up, untying her hair from it's pigtails, and stuffing the ribbons into her pocket in an attempt to warm herself at least a little with her hair covering the back of her neck. Ichigo sighed, why couldn't she get to sleep?

* * *

"_Aaaw,_" Kish thought once he'd appeared in the hayloft only a few feet behind Ichigo, though he hadn't been expecting to find her there, and especially not alone. However, one of the first things he noticed was that she was shivering slightly.

He floated toward her, slowly wrapping his arms around her.

Ichigo gasped and jumped, startled to the point her cat features popped out, when she suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her. Her cat instincts had other ideas than to run though, instead she snuggled back, pressing into the warm body sitting behind her.

"Hello Kitten," She heard Kish's voice whisper silkily into her furry ear, "Sorry I was gone so long."

Ichigo twisted around in his arms to face him, looking rather mad, "Where were you?!" She demanded.

Kish loosened his arms around her, but didn't let go, as he moved back a little, looking slightly sad with a mix of guilt, "I said I was sorry! Please don't be mad…"

"Hmph!" Ichigo squeaked, "I'm not _mad_! I was actually _worried_ about you-" She slapped a had over her mouth, watching as Kish smirked raising an eyebrow.

He scooted a little closer to her, wrapping his arms around her further, "You were worried about me?"

Ichigo glared at him then looked away, "Not that much…" She mumbled.

Kish snickered, "Come on now, Kitty Kat," He said, nuzzling her ear, "No need to be shy." Ichigo blushed. "I'm glad you were worried about me, it shows you care." Ichigo rolled her eyes, resting her head on her shoulder.

"Where were you, anyway?" She asked, her eyes dropping half closed.

"Pai has me and Kuriimu under surveillance," Kish answered, smiling down at her, "So the water guards actually think I'm taking a shower right now."

Ichigo pinched the hem of Kish's shirt between her forefinger and her thumb, raising an eyebrow, "With your clothes on?"

Kish chuckled, "No, they can't follow us into the bathing facilities, but…" A perverted look came into his eyes, "If you really want to see me without-

"No!" Ichigo shouted, jolting upright and blushing madly, "Don't even!"

Kish laughed, "I was only joking, I told you before, I won't try anything I don't think you won't approve of." Ichigo sighed as she felt Kish place his hand on the side of her head, gently pushing it back down onto his shoulder.

"You better not." She grunted, shifting around a bit so she could snuggle into him, enjoying the warmth that came off of him. Now that she knew what had happened to him, she felt like she could relax and finally felt a little sleepy. She yawned, a kitten-like purr escaping the back of her throat.

"Is kitten sleepy?" Kish asked, Ichigo nodded and he gently eased backwards so he could lay down on the hay barrel, Ichigo resting on his chest as he held one arm around her and the other hand pillowing his head as he stared up at the moon, completely forgetting about Pai and Kuriimu and just about everything else.

* * *

The first thing he felt was something tapping the side of his head when he slowly came back to consciousness. His eyes fluttered open and the first thing he saw was the top of Ichigo's pink hair. "_Oops…_" He though, he hadn't meant to spend the whole night there, though only because he knew he'd-

"Kish." The green haired alien froze at the stern sound of Pai's voice.

"_Uh oh…_" He thought, now fully waking up. He kept his gaze on Ichigo, wondering how they had ended up with her back pressing into his front somewhere in the night, and not wanting to look up at Pai, who would undoubtedly give him a lecture and a longer punishment.

"Kish." Pai said again, if possible even more stern this time. "I know you are awake, look at me."

Kish bit his lower lip as he slowly moved his head to look up at the elder alien, "Um…he he…hi."

Pai glared down at Kish, "You are under surveillance," He stated, "You shouldn't be outside of the ship, let alone with…_that_." He glanced at Ichigo.

Kish's blood boiled now, how dare he talk about Ichigo like she was some sort of vermin! "What's a "_that"_?" Kish asked, mimicking Pai's acidic tone.

Pai narrowed his eyes, "You know what I mean."

Kish let out a low growl from the back of his throat, "Ah, can it, would you?" He said, "You can't pretend you don't give that little fishy girl looks, 'cause I see them!"

Pai hid his blush, instead giving the boy an even more intense glare, "You honestly believe I would fall for a _human_? Kish, while you have the chance, do something smart for once and kill the mew," Kish gasped, looking shocked by the mere suggestion, "I expect you back at the ship within a half hour. If you have not killed the mew, you will be considered a traior and sent to banishment."

Kish was shaking, though unnoticeable, as he watched Pai float away, teleporting once he was far enough into the open. How could he even suggest that? And so casually too! Just the thought of Ichigo's blood being spilt made Kish sick, he shook his head, pressing his cheek into the top of the girl's head. He was so glad she'd been asleep through that; he wouldn't know what he would do if she'd been awake to hear it. Though he knew he'd have to tell her at some point, but at least not he had time to think it over. Kish tightened his arms around Ichigo, protecting her, as if the very wind could make her disappear at any moment.

* * *

Kuriimu felt so guilty, the idea had been his to begin with and it was Kish who was getting the punishment for it. Pai had just gotten back and reported that his brother had been found asleep, next to the Tokyo Mew Mew leader, Mew Ichigo. He sat on his bed, glancing at the surveillance camera every few minutes nervously. If he told Pai it had been his idea, what would happen? If he didn't…would Kish really kill Ichigo? No, he's way to in love with the girl…but if he did…Kuriimu shook his head a little to fast, making himself a little dizzy, trying to get rid of the thoughts. There was no _way_ Kish would, or could even if he did want to, which he never would, kill Ichigo.

He sighed, standing up, the small camera following. He walked over and sat at his desk, grabbing a piece of loose-leaf paper and a pen, beginning to write a letter.

* * *

Ichigo's eyes fluttered open and once she was awake, she was surprised for two reasons, the first because she was still in the hayloft, and the other because Kish, instead of still lying next to her or staring at her, was sitting on the edge of the hay barrel, his legs dangling over the side.

Ichigo slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position, "Kish?" The alien jumped, startled, when she called his name. Something was definitely wrong.

Twisting around to see her, he smiled at her, "Ah, good morning Ichigo-chan."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, he _never_ called her Ichigo, not unless he was pissed or scared. "Morning," She said, "Kish, is something wrong?"

Kish looked back down to the barely visible floor, his smile gone and all playfulness vacant of him, "Nope, nothing."

Ichigo crawled over to him, sitting next to him with her legs tucked up underneath herself, "No, there's something wrong, I can tell."

Kish smirked, or tried to, "You really think you know me that well?"

"I've never seen you so…depressed." Ichigo said, pressing her palms to her knees and leaning on them.

Kish gulped, taking in a breath, "_Alright_," He thought, "_It's now or never…_" Speaking aloud to Ichigo, he said; "Ichigo…a while ago, before you woke up…"

* * *

Kuriimu held up the message, having written it in such a specific way that it would be confusing to anyone who read it besides the writer themselves, and one other person who would know full well what such a strange message would mean. Now all he had to do was find Tart and get him to take it to Kish.

He quietly slid his door open, casually walking down the hall, the letter in stuffed into his pocket, as he made his way for Tart's room. It was only a few doors down so it didn't take him long to reach it. He knocked.

_Knock_

_Knock_

_Knock_

No answer. He sighed and tried again…still no answer.

"He's out." A voice said from behind him, he turned and saw a small boy with banana yellow hair tied back into a ponytail with a pale green band and orange eyes.

"Sherbet," He said, "You know where he is?"

"I just said," Sherbet said, "He's out, I don't know where, but he's gone," He smirked, "Which means _you_ can't get to him."

Kuriimu sighed and rolled his eyes, Tart's cousin could be such a pain, especially when he wanted to be given something to do. "I doubt you'd be up for this."

Sherbet snorted, "Try me!"

Kuriimu reached into his pocket, pulling out the letter and holding out to the kid, "I need you to take this to Kish, he snuck out and Pai caught him, he hasn't come back yet but you can't tell _anyone_ I sent this out, okay?"

Sherbet grinned, saluting him, "Hai!" He took the message, "Any idea where I can find him?"

"He's probably with Ichigo." Kuriimu answered.

Sherbet raised an eyebrow, "You mean the mew leader?" Kuriimu nodded. "Heh, I _knew_ he had a thing for her!"

"_Everyone_ knew he had a thing for her." Kuriimu said, "Now beat it before someone sees you!"

Sherbet nodded before teleporting. Kuriimu sighed again, running a hand through his hair, he was so glad the surveillance cameras didn't pick up sound, but the guards would probably be pretty suspicious just from what they saw.

* * *

Sherbet teleported directly a few feet away from the backdoor of the house on the farm, looking all around to make sure he was alone, he saw that he was not. Lying sprawled out on the grass in a pair of jeans, an orange t-shirt, and white socks with no shoes, was a small girl with blond hair tied back into four braids, her eyes closed as she soaked up the sun's rays.

Sherbet blushed a little, "_She's…kinda pretty…_" He shook his head vigorously, "_No! She's probably a mew mew!_"

"Hi, na no da!" A heard a cute, girlish voice squeak, "What's your name?"

He looked back over to the girl only to see that she was now mere inches from his face. His cheeks flushed a deep red and he jumped away, stammering. "I-I-I-"

The girl cocked her head to the side cutely, like a puppy, "I'm Purin, na no da!" She announced, "Are you a friend of Tar-Tar's?"

Sherbet stopped for a moment, "_Tar-Tar?_" He'd heard that name somewhere before.

_Tart was fixing himself a sandwich at the counter grumbling something incoherent._

_Sherbet chuckled, "What's up with you?"_

"_Nothing!" Tart snapped, blushing._

"_I bet that monkey girl called you Tar-Tar again!" Kish laughed, startling the two boys with his sudden appearance._

"_So then…_" Sherbet thought, "_This is Mew Pudding?_"

The grinned brightly up at him, "You still haven't told Purin your name, na no da!" She chirped.

"Er…" Sherbet stared at the ground, "M-my name is Sherbet…I'm, um, here to give something to Kish." His eyes widened and he slapped a hand over his mouth, Kuriimu had said specifically _not_ to tell anyone about the letter.

"Purin hasn't seen him, na no da," Purin said, "But I can help you look!" She beamed, her eyes sparkling.

"Uh…" Sherbet thought it over, he sighed, "Sure, two heads is better than one."

"You have two heads, na no da?!" Purin exclaimed. Sherbet blinked a few times, this was going to take a while.

* * *

Me: Okay, so there. I decided it would be kind of funny and cute and stuff if I gave Tart a rival, though it won't be anything to serious like Kish and Aoyoma are rivals, more like kiddy stuff. And also, I'm having a slight writer's block problem with this story, so if anyone would like to send ideas or something in, I'd be willing to see what people would like to see in this story.

Kuriimu: We send a big thanks out to **Ryou's fan girl** and **Zaku The Devil**, both of whom have reweiwed pretty much every chapter thus far, and also to **Lazayta** who just started reading this. Kousagi is in a better mood now that she's had some chocolate milk.

Me: I would have prefered strawberry but we don't have any.

Kuriimu: You're still not as grumpy. Anyway, thanks for Reading and Reveiw please!


	8. Found You!

Me: I'm eating po-cky! *singing* Was this soon enough for everyone?

Kish: As you can undoubtedly tell, Kousagi is in a _much_ better mood today, thus her having written a whole new chapter.

Me: *grinning* I got pocky at Borders today! And two manga books!

Kish: Yes, so now she's all happy and her usual self, now to answer two reveiws!

**Ryou's fan girl: **Female chickens are called hens and males are roosters, and you _really_ shouldn't chase the sheep, you can scare them to death easily, but have you ever heard of Fainting Ghoats? They're so funny! You can look them up on YouTube and see them fainting all over the place. And I've never been put in charge of the cows, I'm to small. Four feet and nine inches I think, and thin, so I'd get squished pretty easily XD At least, I'm not aloud to go near them alone unless it's absolutely necessary.

**Zuka The Devil:** Yeah, I hate it, feel lucky you've never had to do it before. I have to about once or twice a month.

Me: And now, on with the story!

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi does not own Tokyo Mew Mew nor anything related to it, only her OCs.**

* * *

"KISHUUUUUUU!!!" Purin shrieked as she and Sherbet walked down the gulf, side by side, Sherbet clamping his hands over his ears every time she screamed.

{A/N: the gulf on the farm I live on is really just a two mile long dirt path that leads to the end of the property and the horse pasture}

"Yeesh," He said, "Can you be a little quieter, _please_?"

Purin hopped in front of him, grasping both of his hands, "Is Purin being to loud, na no da?" Her eyes were wide and sparkling.

Sherbet blushed, "Er…well, yeah, kind of."

Tart's ear twitched, did he just hear…? No, it couldn't have been. Currently, he had been flying through the trees, he was actually looking for Purin, wanting a gumball, but he couldn't seem to find her.

"Is Purin being to loud, na on da?" He heard the small girl's voice, though it was a little muffled from the distance and trees, but she was still close enough to hear.

"Er…well, yeah, kind of." But who was with her? It sounded like his cousin, but wasn't he supposed to be back on the ship?

Hovering closer to the edge of the trees, where they stopped and there was a dirt path, he spotted the girl and…it _was_ Sherbet! Tart looked shocked, what was his cousin doing with Purin?

Ichigo just stared at Kish, a slightly shocked expression on her face as she listened to him say what he had to tell her, all about how if he wasn't back to the ship within a half an hour and she wasn't dead, he would be considered a traitor and sent into banishment. The whole time, Kish couldn't seem to look at her as he spoke, instead keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the wooden panels of the floor. Once he was done, he looked at Ichigo through the corner of his eyes.

"Well," Ichigo sighed, "That seems a little…harsh."

Kish simply shrugged. "With my people, punishment is taken very seriously."

"Yeah but…" Ichigo said, "What if you tried-"

"I wouldn't! Ever!" Kish exclaimed, looking at her almost as if he were offended.

Ichigo gave him a look, "_If_ you tried," She started again, "And I managed to get away, then what would they do?"

Kish sighed, his shoulders slumping, "Same thing probably," He let out a sad snicker, "I've screwed up so much as it is, everyone there knows how I feel about you," Ichigo blushed, "So I'm already considered a traitor pretty much as it is."

She gave him a sympathetic look, "So, no matter what, if you don't…kill me, you'll be banished from your home planet?"

Kish nodded, "Yup. I guess there's no way around it."

Ichigo looked a little mad, "That's so not fare!"

Kish chuckled, looking over at her, "And they all think humans are the heartless ones."

Ichigo crossed her arms over her chest, "You're not heartless."

Kish grinned, "I love you." Ichigo blushed, staying silent.

Tart blushed, feeling a strange feeling he'd never felt before rise up in his stomach, it was something about seeing Sherbet with Purin that made him…feel weird, like he was mad or something, yet it wasn't anger. It was just…weird!

Deciding to do something about it, he teleported a few feet behind Purin who was still standing in front of Sherbet and didn't seem to notice him, he sucked in a breath, "Hey, Purin!"

The monkey-girl whirled around, her short, yellow braids whipping around her neck, "Tar-Tar!" She looked surprised and delighted to see him, immediately lunging at him, wrapping her arms tight around his torso and knocking him to the ground. He hadn't quite been expecting that but either way, the weird feeling was gone. "Tar-Tar, Tar-Tar, Tar-Tar, Tar-Tar!" Her grip on him was almost deathly tight, her monkey features were popped out and her tail was wagging madly.

"Hi…Purin…" The small alien managed to choke out. All the while, Sherbet was standing a few feet back, snickering.

Purin let go suddenly, not sitting on top of him, her legs straddling his hips and her hands pressing into his shoulders, "Tar-Tar came to see Purin, na no da!"

"Eh, yeah." Tart said, blushing madly.

The girl grabbed his collar and yanked his face close enough to hers that he could feel her breath on his face, "Purin thought they sent you back, na no da…" She whispered as thought it were some secret.

Tart raised an eyebrow, confused, "Huh? Who sent me back?"

Suddenly, Purin leapt off of him, standing with her hands balled into small fists near her chin, "Minto-oneechan said they sent you back, na no da! Because you weren't at the last fight, na no da! And Purin was like, NOOOOOO!" She spun around slowly three times before falling flat on her backside.

Tart stood up, startled, as he dusted himself off. Both boys stared down at her, identical shocked expressions on their faces. The girl hopped back onto her feet, "But now, na no da," She began, "Sherbet-kun and Purin are trying to find Kish, na no da! But we can't find him, na no da! Has Tar-Tar seen Kish, na no da?!"

"Um…" It took a minute for all of this to register in Tart's mind; he blinked a few times, "N-no, I haven't. He's supposed to be under surveillance."

"What surveillance, na no da?!" Purin exclaimed.

Instead of answering the overly hyper young girl, he turned to Sherbet, "Kish _is_ still under surveillance, right?"

"Nope," Sherbet said, "Pai caught him with the mew leader a little while ago, Kuriimu sent me out to-" He slapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide.

Tart raised an eyebrow, "To what?"

"To send him a letter, na no da!" Purin answered for him.

"Purin!" Sherbet whined, "You weren't supposed to tell anyone!"

"What should I do?" Kish asked, looking at Ichigo with a helpless expression, "I mean, I can't just leave my family behind, and Pai and Tart, they're like my brothers…"

Ichigo bit her lower lip, "I…I'm not sure." Kish sighed, still looking helpless. "I guess…you could join the mews, but no one would really trust you and you're family, you said you can't leave them, so…"

Kish got an idea, "What if pretend to be Key?"

Ichigo blinked, "Um, who?"

"Remember? At that fair thing," Kish said, "When I was dressed as a human."

"Oh," Ichigo said, "Yeah, I guess…but what about your family?"

Kish's face fell, "I don't think there's any way around that, Kitten, and I'm sure Kuriimu can take care of them."

Sighing, Ichigo asked; "Who is "them" exactly?"

Kish smirked, "My mom and her older brother, other than that, it's just me and Kuriimu." He eyed her, "What about you? Who makes up your family?"

Now Ichigo smirked, "There's me, my parents, and my grandparents."

"That's it?" Kish asked. Ichigo nodded. "Wow, somehow I was expecting the Momomiya family to be a lot bigger."

"Back to the original topic," Ichigo said, "What are we, or _you_, going to do?"

"I like "we" better," Kish said and Ichigo rolled her eyes, "But like I said, Kuriimu can take my place as oldest no problem, I don't think there's any way to get around it."

Ichigo nodded, "Then we should tell the mews, I- _we_ can't keep a secret like that from them." Kish nodded and ran a hand through his messy, bed-headed hair; he was obviously _not_ looking forward to confronting the mews, not like this at least.

"Well," Tart sighed, "I guess we should find him anyway, if Kuriimu sent a message to him even when he's under surveillance, it must be pretty important."

Sherbet nodded, "That's what I've been _trying _to do, but we can't find him!"

"Ichigo-oneechan is in the barn, na no da." Purin said, "Maybe he's with her?"

Both boys looked at her, "Why didn't you say that earlier?!"

As they began on their way to the barn, Purin leading the way, Sherbet and Tart began to bicker about the most random of topics.

"Snakes are cooler than spiders!" Tart said, "Hands down, no argument!"

"Yeah? Well then why am I arguing?" Sherbet shot at him, arms crossed over his chest. Purin rolled her eyes as the two.

Once they finally reached the barn they walked in, Purin pulling open the large, painted-red wooden door. Passing by the chicken coop, the sheep pen, and the cow's part of the barn, they found the stairs to the hay loft.

{A/N: I can't remember what the cow's part of the barn is right now, sorry.}

Climbing up the stairs carefully, seeing as Cherry had told Purin it was unstable and not to be trusted, they were finally in the hay loft.

"I guess we should get to it them." They heard Kish say.

"Yup." And Ichigo, of course, was with him.

Floating up, Sherbet saw them sitting on the edge of a hay barrel, "Kish!" He called.

Said green haired alien jumped, startled, at the sudden sound of Sherbet's young, boyish voice. He twisted around to look at him, "Sherbet? What are you doing here?"

Ichigo glanced from Sherbet to Kish and then back to Sherbet, "Who's this?"

"He's Tart's cousin," Kish answered, sounding confused, "Kid, what are you doing here?"

"I have a letter for you!" He said, "It's from Kuriimu!"

"Tar-Tar!" They heard Purin exclaim, "Lift Purin onto the hay, na no da! Put Purin on the hay! She wants to see Ichigo-oneechan _too_, na no da!"

Tart sighed and looped his arms under Purin's shoulders, floating up with her and setting her on the hay barrel, immediately she crawled over and snuggled into Ichigo's side, a bright smile on her face as the cat-girl wrapped her arms around her in a warm hug, a smile on her own face.

Kish smirked at this, "_Her parents and grandparents aren't her only family._" He thought.

* * *

Me: Hope everyone liked it! I know my OC mews and other girls havn't really been in it for the past like, two or three chapters, but anyway, I need some ideas as to what I should do, because I'm not that sure and I would like some ideas for my fic.

Kish: Writer's block is very rare for you.

Me: Yes, yes it is.

Kuriimu: I want to see Mikuru!

Kish: And you say you're not in love with her. *shakes head slowly*

Kuriimu: Read and Reveiw please!

Kish: DON'T change the subject mister!

Me: *sneezes* Justin kept waving mom's feather duster in my face!


	9. Bruised Little Lamb

Me: I seem to be updating pretty fast. I guess it's 'cause I have a lot of free time ;)! Anyway, I have a question! What if I made another new mew? It would be like, Kuri or Cherry, but not Cookie because she's only five and Purin is supposed to be the youngest mew mew, so...yeah, I wanted to ask if it was a good idea before I made any final decisions about it! I'd love to know what everyone else thinks!

Kish: And I'm banished from my own planet.

Kuriimu: *grinning*

Kish: And I know what _you're_ planning, idiot.

Me: Yeah, as far as Kuriimu goes, I have something in mind, but it won't really come up until about, the next chapter or so. Anyway, on with the story now!

**Disclaimer: Strawberry Kousagi does not own Tokyo Mew Mew nor anything related to it, only her OC's!**

* * *

"So…Pai is really gonna…" Tart paused, gulping, "Banish you?"

Kish sighed, nodding, "Yup."

"All because you won't kill the cat?" Sherbet asked. Kish nodded again.

"And you're gonna be hanging out with the mews now?" Tart asked, again Kish nodded.

"We're still not sure how to go about it though," Ichigo said.

Purin rested her head against her shoulder, still curled up next to her. "Purin thinks Kish-oniichan will do fine, na no da."

Everyone looked at the girl in surprise, "Did you just…?" Kish started, "Call me "oniichan"?"

Purin looked up at him, "Why not, na no da? Is that a bad thing?"

"Er…well, no," Kish said, "I just- it surprised me is all."

"Oh yeah!" Sherbet said suddenly, "Kuriimu sent me with this, it's for you!" He shoved his hand into his pocket, pulling out the letter and handing it to Kish.

He took it, eyeing in curiously, "What's in it?"

Sherbet shrugged, "Didn't read it, he said it was a secret."

"Huh." He unfolded it quickly, scanning over the words.

_Kish!_

_I'm sorry. You're in trouble. You were with the Pink Mew, Pai caught you. It sucks. Can you get out of it? I guess not._

_Kuriimu!_

Then there was a rather badly done drawing of a barn with a few sheep, chickens, and a cow in front it, all drawn under the message. Kish chuckled, his brother couldn't draw to save his life, but he knew what the letter meant and he wasn't liking it to much, why did Kuriimu have to be so much like their uncle? Usually it was okay, but right now it was going to get him a lot of trouble.

* * *

Mikuru panted, running, with her white MP3 player in the back pocket of her denim shorts, bopping up and down with her fast movements. She was listening to _Kana _while going for a run down the gulf and she was already half way down it, almost to the horse pasture where she planned to stop and turn back to head back to the house.

Something purple caught the corner of her eyes, in the trees, and skidded to a stop, whirling around to see what it was…nothing was there. She already worried, Ichigo having disappeared and nowhere to be seen since the night before, and Purin had disappeared as well just recently. What had happened to them? That's why she had gone out for the run in the first place, to see if maybe they had gone down there, but so far there was no sign of either of the girls.

_Rustle…rustle…_

Mikuru stiffened, what was out there?

_Clomp, clomp…_

The sound of horse feet? Emerging from the trees was Macy, Kuri's Arabian horse; it was a pretty off-white with cream colored pinto markings. Suddenly, though, it grew ten times its size, morphing into something larger, deformed, and quite obviously evil with its glowing red eyes, hooves curved into daggers, and teeth as sharp as knives.

Mikuru gasped, it was a Chimera Anima! Which meant that one of the aliens had to be near, but whoever it was she had to transform.

Pulling out her pendant, she shouted into it; "MEW MEW MILK! METAMORPHOSIS!"

She watched with narrowed eyes as Pai landed on a tree branch not to far behind the deformed horse. "MILK MUSIC!" She summoned her weapon, if the other mews weren't coming, then she'd fight it alone.

* * *

On a candy pink piece of yarn around Ichigo's neck, her mew pendant started flashing, as did Purin's on her own neck, held on with a piece of yellow yarn. The two mews glanced at each other before standing up, the aliens confused as to what was going on the, they both shouted into their pendants.

"MEW MEW STRAWBERRY! MEATMORPHOSIS!"

"MEW MEW PUDDING! METAMORPHOSIS!"

"Kitten," Kish said, standing up quickly, "What's going on?"

"Why were your pendants glowing?" Tart asked.

"A mew transformed." Ichigo answered before she and Purin ran out of the hay loft and out of the barn, meeting the other mews, all of which were already in mew form, near the back of the house. Ichigo did a head count.

"Mikuru!" She gasped.

Kish, Tart, and Sherbet burst out of the barn door, "Ichigo, what's going on?!" Kish demanded.

"What the…?" Minto trailed off, the mews were clearly surprised by the three aliens being with their leader and youngest.

"I'll explain later!" Ichigo said, "Where's Mikuru?"

"Uh…d-down the- the gulf!" Retasu answered, stuttering and she shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously, her small hands curled into loose fists and pressing into her chest.

Ichigo took off again, the rest of the mews on her heels, and the three aliens following, still confused as to what was happening.

* * *

"RIBBON…MILK LULLABY!" A blast of white shot out from the gold cow bell on Mikuru's weapon. There was no one else, just her, fighting alone, yet she wasn't strong enough to beat it by herself.

The mutated horse anima reared up, kicking its feet, and charged for her.

"AAAAAAH!" She shrieked as it rammed headfirst in her, throwing her back into a tree, hard. She landed on her butt, right at the base of the tree, and tried to sit up, but there were to many scrapes and bruises, she was to banged up to do anything anymore and her weapon had disappeared.

She felt the air shift above her and looked up to see Pai, "You end now, filthy human." He summoned his own weapon, a fan, and aimed it for her. The small lamb mew whimpered as tears began to leak out of the corners of her eyes.

"STOP!" She and Pai whipped their heads around and saw the mews running towards them, it was Retasu who had screamed.

Pai floated back, away from Mikuru, a softer look coming into his eyes when he spotted the green haired mew mew. Then he noticed a darker green, not to far behind them. "Kish…" But what surprised him the most was that Tart and Sherbet were also with the mews.

Retasu and Purin ran to Mikuru, helping her get further into the trees and out of the way of the Chimera Anima. The girl whimpered more; sure that she had a broken bone somewhere.

"RIBBON…STRAWBERRY CHECK!" Ichigo shot off her attack at the Anima, killing it instantly, it having already been weakened by Mikuru's attacks.

Pai stood on the dirt path, Kish a few several feet in front of him, as they glared at each other. Sherbet and Tart stood close to each other only a foot behind Kish.

"Pai." Kish said monotonously.

"Kish." Pai said in the same monotone voice.

As the rest of the mews helped Mikuru to her feet, they could feel the heavy tension in the air.

* * *

Kuri was pacing around the kitchen, back and forth, back and forth, while Cherry was mixing a bowl of cupcake batter, and Cookie was sitting on the counter watching intently, hoping on getting to lick the bowl or spoon once her sister was done.

"Would you _relax_?" Cherry said, not even looking up at the girl, "I'm sure Mikuru is fine, stop worrying!"

"She's never been out for a run this long," Kuri said, felt more worried than she sounded, "_Never_!"

"Maybe she found a sunny place and decided to stay out longer than she normally does," Cherry said, "You know just as well as I do how much she loves to sunbathe."

Kuri stopped pacing, wirlling around to face her cousin, her hands clenched into fists at her mouth, "I swear, if any of those alien mother fu-"

Cherry stuffed the wooden mixing spoon in the mouth, giving her a look with an eyebrow raised, "Watch your language." She glanced over at Cookie who was still sitting on the counter, a slightly disappointed look on her face that she wouldn't get to lick the spoon, but at least there was still the bowl.

Kuri rolled her eyes and took the spoon, pulling it out of her mouth, "If they hurt her, they're so dead." She said darkly, just then the door nearly burst open and the mews walked in, no longer in mew form, Mikuru being supported by Ichigo and Zakuro, each arm over their shoulders. Kish was waiting outside while Pai had ordered Tart and Sherbet to go back to the ship and of course, being only children, they obeyed.

"Mikuru!" Kuri squeaked, tossing the spoon into the sink and rushing into the mudroom where her sister was being set down on the wood-made bench. "What happened?!"

"Pai is what happened." Minto answered.

"Pie- how did a dessert do this?" Cherry asked, walking in, Cookie following close behind.

Minto rolled her eyes, "P-A-I!" She snapped, spelling out each letter, "One of the aliens attacking us!"

Cherry just stared at her, a little shocked, "You didn't have to yell."

Minto rolled her eyes again, sneering and crossing her arms over her chest.

Mikuru looked up at everyone, smiling sweetly, "Everyone, I'm fine, really."

"My _foot_!" Kuri exclaimed, "Into the bathroom, now. We'll get you cleaned up and everything and _then_ you will be fine!" Mikuru smiled again, her sister was always so overprotective of her and their cousins.

Cherry went back to the kitchen with Cookie to finish the cupcakes while Kuri and Retasu ushered Mikuru into the bathroom and got out the first-aid kit, Minto went to put on a pot of tea.

It was just Zakuro and Ichigo left standing in the mudroom, "What will you do about Kish?" The wolf mew asked.

Ichigo set her gaze to the ground, "I'm not sure. He is no longer with the aliens anymore and it's against a mew mew's rules to just leave someone out in the cold, unless it's necessary, so I guess…I'll have to talk to Ryou and Keiichiro about it." Zakuro simply nodded before walking to the kitchen to wait with Minto for the tea to finish.

Ichigo sighed before turning around and walking back out the door. She found Kish leaning up against the house to the right of the door, staring up at the sunset sky. The day sure had passed pretty quickly. When he looked down at her, he smiled.

"Hey," He said, "How's the little lamb?"

"Mikuru?" Ichigo asked. Kish nodded, "She's…better, Kuri and Retasu are taking care of her."

"I'm sorry about what Pai did," Kish said, looking guilty as though it were his fault, "He can be a real jerk sometimes."

"It's not your fault," Ichigo said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "He just wants to save his people, and so do you, and Tart, and everyone else on your planet."

Kish smiled at her again, taking her hand and kissing her fingers, making the girl blush, "So what about Blondie?" He asked, "And the baker guy?"

"What about them?" Ichigo asked, taking her hand from Kish and letting it fall to her side.

"Well, will they accept me as part of the group or not?" Kish asked, "I mean, I'm not joining the mews or anything but if I'll be hanging around you guys, and Purin is already calling me "oniichan"…" Kish said, "I think they'd know about it."

"Oh," Ichigo said, "Yeah, I didn't see them when we went in so, I'm not sure where they are."

Kish nodded, "So…if I can't go back to the ship, what'll I do for the night?" Ichigo bit her low lip, furrowing her brow.

* * *

"No. Freaking. WAY!" Kuri nearly screamed, leaning forward a little with her fists placed firmly on her hips.

"Kuri," Ichigo said, standing in front of Kish who was sitting in the armchair in the living room while the rest of the mews plus Cherry and Cookie were all squished together on the couch, Purin sitting on Zakuro's lap and Cookie on Cherry's. "Please, he has nowhere else to go."

"He's one of those damned aliens!" Kuri protested.

"Hey!" Kish said, clearly offended.

The brunette looked over Ichigo's shoulder to glare at him before looking back at the cat girl herself, "He's one of the ones attacking my sister _and_ you girls, why would I let him stay here?"

"Actually," Ichigo said, "He's the one that got Pai to stop attacking."

Kuri flinched but loosened up a little, sighing as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Fine." She said rather harshly, "But he's sleeping on the couch and he has to wear a disguise, I don't want Grandma knowing we have an alien staying here."

Ichigo thought it was a little unfair that he had to sleep on the couch, but at least it was somewhere, and so she nodded in agreement.

* * *

Me: Okay, so that was the knew chapter! I hope everyone liked it!

Kish: I'll be near Ichigo a lot now! :D

Kuriimu: What're you going to do with me? Why is it being such a mystery?!

Me: *giggles* You'll find out soon! Read and Reveiw please!


	10. Dear Diary

Me: :D So then it's settled, I will be adding a new mew! You'll find out who it is near the end or middle (I forget which) of this chapter! Yay! I'm actually rather surprised that I made it to chapter ten! Thank you to all the people who have reveiwed! Yay! *giggles*

Kish: She's slightly sugar high.

Me: :D And I'm home! I went on this little, one day trip to PA with my mom and aunt and we had a lot of fun but since we were going to pick some stuff up from out old house, that meant we had to go to the city, and I kinda really don't like the city, no offence to anyone who does like it though! We got back last night! But I just really feel like laughing for some reason! And I have no idea why!

Kish: That happens to you a lot. Now, on with the story!

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi does not out Tokyo Mew Mew nor anything related to it, only her OCs! :D**

* * *

Kuriimu stepped out into the hall; Pai had just gotten back and reported where he'd bee and what he'd been doing. To say the least, Kuriimu was not happy.

"Pai." He said, just as the older alien was passing by.

Pai looked over his shoulder, turning only slightly. "Yes?"

"At the fair, you knew that was Mikuru's lamb, didn't you?" Kuriimu asked.

"I did." Pai answered.

"How?" Kuriimu was holding back a glare.

"It was a mere guess," Pai said, "I ran a few tests and observed the human girls on that farm, the results showed Mikuru for being the most suitable as a mew mew."

"Then I don't get it," Kuriimu said, "Why do you keep targeting her? Is there something wrong with her?"

"As far as we know, she is the weakest mew," Pai answered, "Her self-confidence is low and she does not believe she can fight against us well enough to be of any help."

Kuriimu raised an eyebrow, "How'd you find that out?"

Pai held up his hand and a small book appeared that had a cute illustration of _Mary Had a Little Lamb_ on it and DIARY written on the center of the cover.

Kuriimu's eyes shot wide, "You stole her _diary_?!" Pai nodded. "Pai, that's a total invasion of privacy!"

Pai looked at him, "You…you idiot." Kuriimu realized what he'd said and how it must have sounded to Pai. "You've fallen for the girl, haven't you? You're no better than your brother!"

Kuriimu glared at him, gritting his teeth, "Don't talk about Kish like that! He is like a brother to you too, remember?"

"_Was_ like a brother," Pai said, "Until he betrayed us, and unless you want to suffer the same fate as he, I suggest you get over your little crush and deal with the mews."

Now Kuriimu was pissed, "Who the hell do you think you are!? My father!?"

"No, but I do know that your father would not approve of you falling for the enemy!" Pai shot back.

Kuriimu suddenly remembered something Kish had said to him before.

"_I'm not afraid to let people know that I'm in love with her."_

Kuriimu curled his hands into fists and glared at Pai, "So what? So what if I'm in love with my enemy?" He smirked, "It's not like you can say any different for yourself." Pai raised an eyebrow, "Come on, even _Tart _sees it! You're so into that green mew mew!"

Pai glared at him, "No. I have nothing for any mew, let a _human_ nor will I ever!"

Ignoring this statement, Kuriimu went on, curling a finger around his chin and folding one arm, looking thoughtful, "I wonder what Little Miss Fishy would think if she knew why you kept attacking Mikuru? What's her name again, Retsu? Restu…?" He looked over at Pai.

"Retasu-" Pai stopped, realizing what Kuriimu was trying to prove. "You know her name."

Kuriimu grinned, "And apparently you do to!"

Pai looked away, hiding an embarrassed blush, "We will continue to attack Mew Milk," Kuriimu frowned, "She is the weakest link and therefore, the most venerable." Pai walked away without another word, leaving Kuriimu standing there.

"But Pai," Kuriimu mumbled, "That's cruel." Seeing that Pai was still carrying the girl's diary as he walked away, he flew as fast as he could toward it and snatched it from him, teleporting without even glancing back.

"Idiot!" Pai exclaimed, he looked down and saw a red light flashing on the surveillance camera that had been following Kuriimu.

He reappeared in his room, grabbing a cloth sack off the back of his desk chair and sliding Mikuru's diary in it, then grabbing his knife and a change of clothes, stuffing them in along with the book.

Slinging the bag onto his shoulder, Kuriimu teleported again, only this time he reappeared outside the sliding glass door in the Chiyuuhoshis' kitchen. Around the table for breakfast sat Ichigo, Minto, Retasu, Purin, Zakuro, Mikuru, Kish, who was dressed in human clothes, and the two guys that were always around the mews. They appeared to be arguing over something and Kish just kept staring at his feet.

Taking in a breath, Kuriimu knocked on the glass door with his knuckles, everyone jumped. Kuri, immediately glaring at him, was the first to stand up and walk over to the door, sliding it open.

"What?" She asked, still glaring at him.

"Can I talk to…" Kuriimu glanced in at everyone, "Mikuru?"

"No." Kuri said, starting to slide the door closed again but Kuriimu grabbed it, stopping her.

"Then can I at least talk to Kish?" He asked.

Kuri sighed, looking over her shoulder, "Kish, it's for you."

Kish nodded, standing up and walking over to them. Kuri went and sat back down, watching them and listening carefully.

"What's up?" Kish asked, "Something wrong? Aren't you still under surveillance?"

"Eh heh…" Kuriimu smirked sheepishly; rubbing the back of his neck, "Well, about that…"

Kish narrowed his eyes at him, "What'd you do?"

"Um…" Kuriimu slid the cloth sack off his shoulder, reaching in and pulling out Mikuru's diary, holding it up for his older brother to see.

"You- where'd you- _how'd_ you…?" Kish trailed off, confused.

"Pai had it." Kuriimu said. "It's Mikuru's and I wanted to give it back to her so…oh and there's something I want to tell you."

Kish sighed, nodding, "Alright, come in I guess."

"What the hell-" Ichigo, sitting in a chair next to Kuri, clapped a hand over the girl's mouth.

"Relax, Kuri." She said.

Kish cleared his throat, "Kuriimu has something he'd like to say, and also something that should be given to Mikuru."

Kuriimu held up the book. "My diary!" Mikuru squeaked, she got up and quickly made her way around the table to retrieve it, she'd been looking everywhere for it.

"What is that you would like to say?" Keiichiro asked.

Kuriimu took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, "The reason…Pai has been targeting Mikuru-"

Kuri sat up strait, "He's been targeting her?"

Kuriimu nodded, "Yeah, um, i-it's because…"

Kish sighed, "Would you feel better if it were just me?"

Looking at him, Kuriimu pouted and nodded vigorously. Kish rolled his eyes, "Come on." He led his brother to the mudroom. "Now, what's up?"

"Okay, so the reason why Pai is targeting Mikuru is because he said she's the weakest mew mew." Kuriimu said quickly. Kish just stared at him for a minute; he didn't understand how his little brother could be a nervous wreck in front of other people but completely fine in front of him.

"So…she's the weakest mew mew?" Kish asked.

Kuriimu nodded, "Yeah, he said it's because she doesn't have confidence in herself, she doesn't think she can be of any help to the mews."

"Hmm…" Kish thought for a minute, "Well, I think the best person to tell would be either Ichigo or Kuri."

Kuriimu raised an eyebrow, "Why Kuri?"

"She's her sister, though I'm not sure who's older," Kish said, "But Kuri is really overprotective so Ichigo might handle it better, but then again, Kuri has known Mikuru for longer so…I'm not sure."

"What if…" Kuriimu trailed off, knowing Kish would be curious as to what he had to say.

""What if" what?" Kish asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, what if I were to stay here too?" Kuriimu suggested, "And, you know, help Mikuru with that?"

"I _knew_ that's what you meant by that letter!" Kish exclaimed, "Kuriimu, what about Mom? And Uncle Jiro? You have a choice, Kuriimu, I didn't!"

"But, Kish-" Kuriimu started.

"No!" Kish interrupted, "Sure, I get to be with Ichigo, but Mom and Uncle Jiro need someone to look after them, they need _you_!"

"Kish-" Kuriimu tried again.

"Go home, Kuriimu!" Kish interrupted again.

"Damn it, Oniichan, would you just listen to me!?" Kuriimu shouted, balling his hands into fists and squeezing his eyes shut. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked up and saw Kish looking a little surprised by the outburst, but at least he was staying silent, so he spoke. "Pai already knows I'm gone. I teleported right in front of him so it's not like I won't get exiled to Earth as it is." His voice was quiet, just louder than a whisper, "I know it was stupid, but what Pai is doing is cruel and he has to be stopped."

Kish's expression softened, fading into a smile. He nodded, "I understand."

Kuriimu beamed a smile at him, "So then…?"

Turning to head back into the kitchen, Kish said over his shoulder; "So long as Kuri is okay with it, you're staying!" Kuriimu grinned as he followed his older brother back to the team of Tokyo Mew Mew. Kish knew why Kuriimu thought it was cruel, if it had been any other mew he probably wouldn't have really cared, but it was Mikuru, and he was falling in love with her. Kish would have done the same thing for Ichigo.

Pai was pacing the computer room, trying to think of what to do. The surveillance guards already knew he was gone; the idiot had teleported right in front of the camera. If he banished him like he had Kish that would only leave him, Tart, and Sherbet to fight against the mews. Him and two children…Pai sighed, slumping into a chair. He thought over the past few days.

"_You can't pretend you don't give that little fishy girl looks, 'cause I see them!"_ Kish had said to him.

"_I wonder what Little Miss Fishy would think if she knew why you kept attacking Mikuru?"_ Kuriimu had said just before disappearing, that did actually make him feel a little guilty.

Pai shook his head, why was he thinking about _that_ of all things? What people had said to him about a human girl..."_They do know me best…_" Pai thought, then shook his head, chasing the thought away. There was no way he could have feelings for a human…was there?

"_Damn it…_" He cursed in his mind, "_I'm turning into Kish._"

Mikuru was gripping her diary tight in her hands, so hard that her knuckles had turned white, as she stared down at it, her bangs covering her eyes. Kuriimu knew she was rather upset with him, he'd just told everyone what she didn't want them to know, not even Kuri.

"Mikuru," Kuri said softly, "Is this true?" Mikuru nodded but stayed silent.

"Mikuru," Kuriimu mumbled, "I…I'm sorry." Mikuru didn't respond.

"Mikuru, you're a mew mew!" Ichigo said, the white haired girl looked up at her, "And so long as you're a mew mew, you're a big a help to this team!" Mikuru gave the tiniest smirk.

"I'm really clumsy," Retasu told her, "But I still try my hardest, even when I don't think I'm strong! And at those times, I have my friends to cheer me up!"

"I don't think there _is_ a weakest mew mew, na no da!" Purin exclaimed. Mikuru smiled.

Ryou spoke up, "Okay, I can't tell!" Everyone looked at him, "Which of you two is older? Kuri or Mikuru?"

The two girls giggled, "Technically," Kuri said, "I am, but only by five minutes. We're both eleven!"

"You're twins, na no da?!" Purin asked.

"Yup!" Kuri answered.

Ryou suddenly turned serious again, "Twins?" Kuri looked at him and nodded, "Mikuru, would you feel better if Kuri could fight with you?"

"Er…" Mikuru didn't answer for a minute, thinking it over, "Um…y-yeah." She nodded.

Keiichiro smiled, getting where Ryou was going, "Then Kuri, would you be willing to fight?"

"If it makes Mikuru feel better, heck yeah!" Kuri said, "And also, I'd be able to make sure she stays safe." She sent a wink to her sister who smiled back.

"Good, then it's settled," Ryou said, "We'll go to Café Mew Mew and see weather or not Kuri can take animal DNA or not."

"_If_ I can?" Kuri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Keiichiro said, "There's a very likely chance seeing as you two are twins, your DNA is closer than that of just simply older sister and younger sister. Your DNA would probably be able to infuse with the DNA of something closely related to a sheep."

"So…how exactly is a mew mew made?" Kish asked.

Ichigo smiled at him, "You'll see!"

"Oh, yeah!" Kuriimu said suddenly, "Um…I can't go back to the ship…"

"Oh, lovely!" Kuri said sarcastically.

Cherry threw her hands up, "If we get anyone else staying here, people are gonna start having to sleep in the hay loft! And what about Grandma and Grandpa? Do they even _know_ Kish is here?" Everyone around the table laughed, but then someone ran down that stairs and swung around the corner, into the living room, and dashed across into the kitchen, stopping in the doorway and raising an eyebrow at Kuriimu.

"Uh, he's cosplaying!" Kuri covered.

"…Okaaaay…" Kurumi headed into the mudroom and out the door.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh my gosh!" Kuri said, "It's so kawaii!" She stared down at her café uniform, it was dark brown with lighter brown accents. She looked up at her sister, "And Mikuru! You're adorable!" Kuri didn't have the animal DNA…yet, but they were going to wait until after work to run any tests.

Mikuru blushed a bright red. "No I'm not…" Her own uniform was light gray with black accents. Kuriimu, however, seemed to disagree with her, he kept glancing at her and then blushing as he looked away again.

"Aaaw!" Cherry said as she picked up her little sister, "Cookie, you're soooo cuuuute!" Cherry was wearing a light pink uniform with red accents, it was Ichigo's only the colors were switched.

"Yay!" Cookie exclaimed, tossing her hands into the air. Even little Cookie had a uniform, it was black with light gray accents, Mikuru's uniform with the colors switched.

Kish was staring at Ichigo, he wasn't even trying to look away, he loved her uniform, it looked adorable on her but he didn't get to see her in it that often. Ichigo looked over at him, blushing from having felt his gaze on her, "What?" She asked.

Kish shook his head slowly, smirking, "Nothing. You just look adorable in your uniform. I think I might have to talk to Ryou about it, it's too cute for you to be seen in by any other guys; they might try to steal you away!"

Ichigo blushed strawberry red. "Oh…be quiet!"

Kish chuckled, walking over to her. He entwined his fingers in hers and whispered into her ear, "You know, your friends are going to have to know about us sooner or later."

Ichigo was a little confused. "What…? Oh!" Then she remembered, she'd said she would give Kish a chance.

"What? You forget or something?" Kish asked, still whispering into her ear.

Ichigo blushed and nodded. Kish seemed a little disappointed but kept smiling at her, "Ah, its fine, with all that's been going on around here, I don't blame you. But I must say, I am looking forward to our first date."

Ichigo blushed again, deeper this time, "First…date?"

* * *

Me: Ta daaaaa! Okay, just so everyone is clear on this, it is NOT supposed to be a "oh, poor new mew" kind of thing, it's just that in every fic I've read that has an OC mew, which actually isn't that many, the girl NEVER has any problems with self-confidence or anything and she nevers doubts herself, so I wanted to do something a little different. And also that's just how Mikuru is.

Kuriimu: She's so cute!

Kish: Hah! You finally admit it! You love Mikuru!

Kuriimu: Yes. Yes I do. *trying to play cool but failling miserably*

Me: :D I have a few ideas for the next chapter, so Read and Reveiw please is you want to find out what happens! ;P


	11. Lunatic

Me: The new chappy is here! :D I drew Mikuru, in both her normal form and mew form! And also as a little chibi! She's sooo cute in as a little chibi! I also drew Kuri and scanned them all onto the computer! Yay! I love how their mew forms came out!

Kish: Now, on with the story!

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi does not own Tokyo Mew Mew nor anything related to it, just her OCs**

* * *

Pai was still sitting in a chair in the computer room, sighing every now and again, thinking over what he should do.

Tart and Sherbet walked into the room rather timidly. "Um…P-Pai…?" Tart said.

Pai craned his neck to look at the small boy. "Yes?"

Tart took in a breath, "Well, Sherbet and I think…um, you-should-admit-that-you-like-the-green-mew-and-we-should-stick-with-Kish-and-Kuriimu!" He clamped both hands over his mouth, staring at Pai with wide eyes as his cousin stood next to him, silent.

Pai leaned on the arm of the chair and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Believe it or not, I have actually considered that."

The two were surprised. "You…have?" Sherbet asked.

Pai nodded, "Tart, do you remember a while ago, something Kish said only a few days before Kuriimu joined us?"

"Um…" Tart thought back to then, "Pai, you're gonna have to be more specific, Kish says a lot of things." Sherbet kept down a giggle.

"About not always trusting Deep Blue-sama." Pai said.

"Oh, yeah!" Tart said, "I remember that!"

_Kish, Pai, and Tart were in the alien dimension, discussing what they would do once Kuriimu arrived._

"_We should ask Deep Blue-sama." Pai said._

_Kish rolled his eyes, "That's what you always say. But he's _my_ brother, he'll stick with me, at least most of the time."_

"_We should still ask Deep Blue!" Tart said, "He might have something planned!"_

"_What if Deep Blue is off his rocker?" Kish asked, folding his arms behind his head. "I mean, he has _three_ people trying to take over a whole planet."_

"_Soon to be four." Pai corrected._

"_Whatever," Kish said, "And our enemies' leader is adorably cute and irresistible, how are we supposed to beat them?"_

_Pai and Tart both rolled their eyes._

"_It'll be four against five," Kish went on, "If he weren't a total nut case then he would have planned this out better!"_

"_Kish!" Pai said, "How can you say such a think about our master with such casualty?!" Kish childishly stuck his tongue out at him._

"What about it?" Tart asked.

"I think…Kish may have been correct about Deep Blue." Pai said. Tart and Sherbet's eyes widened.

* * *

Ichigo was in the kitchen of the temporary Café Mew Mew, washing dishes though that was far from being anywhere near what was really on her mind. Kish had said he couldn't wait for their first date…but what would it even be like? Would it be like the dates she had with Masaya, or something a little different?

Ichigo shook her head, "_This is Kish! Why am I so nervous?_"

"Something wrong Kitten?" She heard Kish's voice right by her ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist to hug her from behind. He was _supposed_ _to be_ upstairs with Kuriimu, but like always Kish didn't follow the rules to well.

"N-nothing!" Ichigo said, blushing madly.

"Are you sure?" Kish asked, "You're being awfully quiet."

"I'm doing the dishes!" Ichigo said in protest, "What do you expect me to do? Talk to myself?"

Kish giggled, "No, of course not! You're really are a silly kitty!" Ichigo let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "But really," Kish went on, "I saw the look on your face, you looked worried about something."

Ichigo stopped scrubbing the pot she'd been trying to clean, letting it drop to the bottom of the sink. "Um…when you said "first date"…what exactly did you have in mind?"

Kish laughed softly, "Is that what you're worried about? That I'll want to do something you wont?" Ichigo nodded. "Kitten, remember what I said? I won't try anything I don't think you'll approve of…with the exception of making out."

"Kish!" Ichigo exclaimed, slamming her hands into the dishwater and making it splash everywhere.

Kish snickered, "Kitty Kat, you're going to get yourself soaked!"

"Everyone!" Ryou called from the top of the basement stairs. "It's closing time!" He sounded serious, like it was an urgent matter. Ichigo knew what this meant, Kish however, did not.

He raised an eyebrow, "Why's he sound so serious?"

Ichigo sighed, smirking, "Because, this is a _secret_ base, with all the costumers in there, he can't just come out and say "alright girls, it's time to experiment on Kuri!"" The two laughed.

After everyone was ushered out of the café the mews and Kuri all went to the basement wit Keiichiro and Ryou, for safety measures Kish and Kuriimu were told to stay in the front room.

Kuri whistled as she came down the stairs, putting a hand on her hip, "Wow, you turned an old wine cellar into a lab? I must say, I'm impressed."

"Miss Kuri?" Keiichiro called, "This way please."

"Uh, sure." The mews all sat around a table, along with the two guys and Kuri. "So…how do we start this?"

"Well, first of all," Ryou said, "We'll need a blood sample."

"Excuse me!" Ichigo said, "But I don't remember you taking any of my blood!"

"That's because I didn't," Ryou said, "I need a sample from Kuri for a test, you six weren't tests, you just happened, remember?" Ichigo glared at him, Ryou rolled his eyes, "But we got lucky and missed the animals we were intending to infuse and got _you five_."

(A/N: I don't remember if this was explained in the anime or not, but incase anyone doesn't know, in the manga they were actually aiming for animals, but because of the earthquake hit the girls instead.)

Kuri raised and eyebrow, "I'm confused, you said that these _six_ just happened, but _five_ weren't on purpose, how does that work?"

"Well, when I injected your sister…" Ryou started.

­_Ryou was in his lab, trying to find a way to enhance the mew mews' powers. He held up the ray gun, reaching behind himself without looking and grabbing a test-tube from the small table, sliding it into the gun. Tweaking with it a bit, he finally shot it off, intending to hit the mews with it but it shot off somewhere else instead, somewhere outside the café._

"_Oh…shit!" Ryou cursed. Imidiatly, he began to search for the girl…_

_On the screen appeared a picture add for a place out in the country._

_**BERRY SKY FARM**__  
**FARM-FRESH: MILK, EGGS, MEAT**__  
**COME FOR VISIT!**_

_Ryou was confused, so he continued to track the DNA he had accidently sent out further…he ended up with not one girl on the farm, but four. All of which could be the girl, though all he had to go by on his screen was a white dot that kept moving._

"So…Mew Milk was a complete accident?" Kuri asked.

"Yes," Keiichiro answered, "That is what we told you before."

"And the other five are _also_ accidents?" Kuri asked.

"Yes." Ryou answered.

"You guys make a lot of…_accident._" Kuri said.

"Look, I know none of this was planned, at least not very well," Ryou said, "But just trust us."

Kuri heaved a sigh, "Fine. Since it's for Mikuru, I'll trust you."

* * *

"You…you really think Deep Blue might be a loon?" Tart asked.

"Yes." Pai answered.

"But…why?" Sherbet asked.

Pai sighed quietly, "It was an order to target Mew Milk, he said she is the weakest of them and I also had proof by way of her diary, though Kuriimu stole it and has probably returned it to her…anyhow, he said that all will be lost soon, though he was laughing and would not explain it."

"Weird…" Tart mumbled, furrowing his brow.

"_All will be lost…_" Pai kept repeating in his head, over and over, "_What the hell does that mean!?_" He had to know. Maybe he should ask someone, but whom? Then it hit him, though he could only hope that the person would give him an answer, let alone a strait one.

* * *

She was surrounded by a brown light, her clothes gone and her hair blowing gently in a breeze she couldn't feel. A small horse appeared in front of her, it was the smallest horse she'd ever seen, like what you would see on baby clothes.

It galloped over to her and leaped, disappearing into her chest…it felt good, it felt…warm…

Kuri fluttered her eyes open, she felt different, like she had more energy suddenly or something. She was lying on a bed, it looked like a hospital bed.

"Kuri-san?" Keiichiro called, "How are you feeling?"

"Great!" Kuri answered, sitting up.

"Good, then look over her." Ryou instructed.

Kuri did and gasped at what she saw staring back at her in a full-length mirror that was hung on the wall.

She was wearing a brown tank top that had light brown straps that trailed all the way down to her hips where the top ended, she had tight, brown short-shorts under a brown skirt that had light brown pleats, knee-high light brown boots that looked somewhat like horse riding boots with small, one inch heels, brown fingerless gloves that had brown ribbons crisscrossing up to her elbows and tied into a neat little bow, and the bands around her left thigh, neck, and arms were light brown with brown edging. What was the most interesting though, was the black horse tail she had and the black horse ears.

"I'm…I'm a _horse_!" Kuri exclaimed.

"The rare Cleveland Bay to be exact," Ryou said.

"Oh…wow!" Kuri grinned at herself, turning this way and that so she could see her mew form front and back.

There was some yelling from upstairs, then they heard Kuriimu yell down, "Uh, you might wanna come up here!"

Everyone raced up the stairs, gasping at what they saw in the front room. Kish was floating in the air, glaring down at Pai who was simply standing in front of the doorway, trying to ignore him.

"Pai!" Kuri shouted, "What'd you come here for?!"

Pai raised an eyebrow at her, "Yet another mew?"

All to ready to fight, Kuri felt the words come to her. "CHESTNUT LUCK!" Kuri summoned her weapon and a rusty looking horseshoe appeared in her hands, it had little, pink jewels lining it –sort of like the bumpy things on Purin's weapon-, and a pink ribbon around the top that tied into a little bow with excess ribbon hanging down a few inches. She thrilled beyond words but also a little confused. "What do I do with it?"

"Just listen!" Ichigo answered, "The words will come to you, just like transforming!"

Kuri stood there, holding her weapon, after a minute she pulled it back and threw it, aiming for Pai's head.

"Ow!" He exclaimed once it hit him right on the back of the head, he glared at the girl, rubbing where she'd hit him.

"I don't that's quite right…" Ichigo said. Kish and Kuriimu were snickering.

"CHESTNUT LUCK!" She summoned her weapon again, trying not to laugh at herself. "RIBBON…CHESTNUT CRUSH!" A brown blast shot off at the Pai but he dodged it.

"Would you stop attacking me?!" He exclaimed.

"You nearly killed my sister!" Kuri shouted up to him.

"It wasn't _that_ bad!" Mikuru said.

"I am merely here to speak with Kish!" Pai stated.

Kish narrowed his eyes at him, crossing his arms over his chest, "Why? If you're here to try to get us to come back, I won't-"

"That is not the reason." Pai said, interrupting him.

Everyone fell silent and surprisingly Retasu was the first to speak up, "T-then why are you here?"

Pai took in a breath and turned to Kish, "Kish, I know things have been…unstable between us-"

"You think?" Kish interrupted.

Ignoring him, Pai went on. "But I think you may have been…somewhat correct…about Deep Blue."

Kish smirked and raised an eyebrow, "What? No "-sama" anymore? Wow, Pai, I'm surprised."

Pai resisted the urge to glare at him. "Anyhow, my reason for targeting Mew Milk was that I was under orders from Deep Blue. That is my only excuse."

"Who the hell's the Deep Blue guy?" Kuri asked, "And what the hell does he want with my sister?"

"He…" Pai stopped, scanning over the mews, his eyes landing on Retasu for a few seconds longer than the rest, "He wishes for all the mews to be destroyed, it is not just her."

"And…do you, Pai-san, wish for the same?" Retasu asked timidly, almost afraid of the answer.

"…not as much…as I thought I did." Pai answered her.

Kish was surprised, "So then, you really _don't_ hate the mews after all, eh?"

Pai looked up at him, "No."

"Um…w-what exactly does this mean then?" Retasu asked. "If I may ask."

Pai tried not to smile, she was by far the politest person he had ever met, "It means…I will be looking farther into Deep Blue, see what his real intentions are, this does not, however, mean that we are no longer enemies."

"And that's _all_ you came here to say?" Kish asked.

"No, I also would like to ask you something." Pai said. Kish gestured for him to go on. "Deep Blue told me not to long ago that "it will all be lost soon", does this mean anything to you?"

"Um…" Kish blinked, "Well, how'd he say it?"

"He seemed to be humored by it," Pai said, "As though he were, like you said, a "loon"."

"Then he's a loon." Kish said, "Only a loon would say something like that and find it _funny_. But I have a question for you now, why'd you ask me? You're smarter than I am and you know it."

Pai turned to leave, "I just thought I'd ask."

As he teleported away, Retasu saw something in his eyes, the same look she saw in her father's eyes when he was worried about her or her younger brother. "_So that's it then…_" She thought, "_He just wanted to make sure he was okay…I think he really does-_"

"Well," Ryou said, interrupting her thoughts, "That was…interesting."

"Yeah… and also kind of weird." Minto agreed.

* * *

Me: Yay! Kuri is now a mew mew! And a horsey ;D

Kish: Ichigo and I still haven't gone on our first date yet!

Me: Yeah, I know, but no worries! I have something in mind for that!

Kish: Really? What?

Me: Psh, like I'd tell you!

Kish: Dammit! Tell me woman!

Me: *sticks tongue out at him* No.

Kish: *glares at me* Read and Reveiw please! I want to know what she's gonna have us do for our first date. And it better not be anything prissy like going to a ballet or something!

Me: Dude, you're in the middle of _nowhere_, where the hell would you go to go to a ballet? Besides like, a recital for preschoolers?

Kish: I don't care! Just don't do it!

Me: *rolls eyes*


	12. Bus Stop

Me: Okay, so sorry for the long wait. Or, at least long for how I usually update this...anyway! I'm kind of tired right now and just finished this chapter, so please forgive me if it's kind of boring and not as good as they usually are.

Thanks for reveiwing:  
**Zuka  
Ryou's fan girl**

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi does not own Tokyo Mew Mew nor anything related to it, only her OC's**

* * *

Ichigo stood at the kitchen island, chopping strawberries for a dessert after dinner and Kish was sitting on the attached bar, watching her.

She glanced up at him, "What?"

"Nothing." He sighed.

Ichigo shifted her weight to one foot, setting the knife down and putting a hand on her hip, "Then why are you staring at me?"

Kish smirked, "Maybe I'd like to taste a strawberry."

Ichigo rolled her eyes, "You could have just said so." She picked up a slice of the fruit and handed it to him, but he didn't take it.

"Not that strawberry." He said, still smirking.

Ichigo blushed, "Kish…"

"What?" Kish leaned against the bar toward Ichigo, "We're the only ones in here, and most of your friends are outside."

Ichigo blushed deeper, "Fine." As she leaned in, she smirked once Kish's eyes had closed and was also leaning in, but instead of kissing him she took the slice of strawberry and slid it through his parted lips.

Kish's eyes shot open and he jerked back, the stool he was sitting on rocking slightly. He chewed and swallowed the bit of fruit and looked at Ichigo, who was smirking, with a raised eyebrow, "That's not what I meant and you know it." Ichigo giggled and Kish smiled. He loved it when she giggled; she always looked so cute with her eyes closed, a cute smile playing on her lips, one hand raised to her mouth.

"But you know," Kish began, "I can always wait until our date to have dessert."

Ichigo looked up at him, confused. "What date? I don't remember- eep!"

Suddenly Kish was behind her, his arms around her waist, "Meet me outside tonight." With that, Kish just disappeared, leaving behind a rather confused Ichigo.

All during dinner, whenever Ichigo would glance up at Kish, he'd be staring at her, smirking. And when that was finally over, the sun was almost completely gone.

"_What did Kish mean by "tonight"?_" Ichigo wondered. Either way, since it was already getting late, she decided to change into something nicer than overalls and a t-shirt. But what would Kish think she'd look nice in? Anything probably, which seemed to make it all the more harder to decide on what to wear.

She stood in Kuri and Mikuru's bedroom, the two were in the family room watching an old black-and-white movie with their grandparents, and went through nearly everything she had brought with her. But it was mostly work clothes save for the one dress she'd brought, but that seemed a little much. She jumped when the door opened and Kuri walked in.

"What're you doing?" The brunette asked, an eyebrow raised and smirking.

"Um…" Ichigo didn't know what to say, especially not when Mikuru came up behind Kuri. How was she going to explain this to them? They had caught her ruffling through her duffle bag when it was seven at night and half her bag was splayed out on the floor. "I-I'm…"

"You going on a date or something?" Kuri asked, leaning on the door. Mikuru stepped around her and went to sit on her bed.

"W-well…" Ichigo looked down, blushing.

"You are." Mikuru stated as though she knew this fact for sure.

"Yes." Ichigo said, "Um…it's tonight, I guess I should've told everyone."

Kuri walked further into the room, closing the door behind her, "No biggie, who's it with?"

"…Kish." Ichigo answered sheepishly.

"I knew it!" Kuri said, "So where's he taking you?"

Ichigo sighed, relieved that they hadn't made a big deal out of it, "I'm not sure, he just told me to meet him outside tonight."

"Hmmm…" Kuri thought for a minute, "Well, if you need help with clothes you could borrow something from me, or maybe Mikuru, you'd probably be closer in size than with me."

"Really?" Ichigo asked. In truth, she had never seen the two standing close to each other without one leaning on something or sitting, so she didn't really know who was taller.

Kuri nodded, "Yeah, I'm like, a whole head taller than she is."

"Oh, wow, I had never noticed." Ichigo admitted.

"Well, enough of that," Kuri said, "Let's find you something to wear!"

It was at least ten minutes later when they had finally found something that was cute, not too showy or dressy, and in Ichigo's color. Mikuru had spoken some mild input when Kuri had suggested that maybe Ichigo could wear a blue blouse, but the little lamb mew didn't think it would look right with Ichigo's pale skin and pink hair.

Ichigo was wearing a pleated white miniskirt that had light pink shorts underneath it, a short-sleeved light pink t-shirt that had hood with small cat ears on it and a strawberry patch on the bottom left side, her hair was up in pigtails with white ribbons and she had on a charm-bracelet that the mews had given her. One charm was a tiny strawberry, one a mint leaf, then a dolphin, a monkey head, and a wolf pup, she decided that soon she would try to find a glass of milk or a lamb charm to represent Mikuru and either a horse or a chestnut charm for Kuri.

Ichigo smiled at herself in the mirror, but it faltered when she heard the ever familiar sound of a jingling bell. Reaching up to the chocker, her fingertips just barely brushed it. She sighed, smiling again as she headed out the door, deciding that she'd keep it for at least a little while, just until she was absolutely positive that she and Masaya were not getting back together. Ever. But this made her stop, why was she agreeing to go on a date with Kish when she wasn't even sure if she was over with Masaya yet? It seemed a little unfair to her, but she shook it off and started for the backdoor again, she knew that if she backed out of the agreement now, she'd only hurt him and it could possibly lead to some mass destruction.

"So," Kuri said, eyeing Mikuru, "Anyone _you're_ interested in?" Mikuru blushed a deep red.

* * *

"Um…you know, it's kind of hard to- ah!" Once again, Ichigo tripped over a tree root, stumbling, but luckily Kish caught her and kept her steady. She huffed, "Can you take your hands off my eyes? It's hard to walk like this!"

"Not yet!" Kish protested, "We're almost there!" Ichigo sighed again, hoping that they were, in fact, almost there. Wherever "there" even was.

Suddenly, Kish stopped, peeling his hands away from her eyes. Ichigo was confused, they were just off a dirt path that Ichigo had never been on before and all that was around, besides trees and grass and plants, was an old horse carriage. "Um, Kish, what exactly…?" She trailed off, looking at him.

Kish chuckled, grabbing her hand, "This is just the outside." He led her up to that cloth opening, it looked old, ragged, and had a few burn marks around the edges, but when Kish pulled the flaps back Ichigo let out a silent gasp at what he had set up _inside_ the old wagon.

"Oh!" Ichigo was suddenly being lifted up, bridal style, by Kish and he set her down on the wood flooring, climbing in beside her.

On the floor was a red cloth that looked more like a table cloth, and there were two lanterns, one in the farthest corner from Ichigo and the other in the corner right behind her.

"What do you think?" Kish asked, still right behind her.

"I…it's awesome!" Ichigo smiled, it felt so old-western and was actually pretty romantic.

Kish smiled, "Glad you like it!"

"Where'd you find this anyway?" Ichigo asked suspiciously as she crawled to sit more on the cloth, Kish followed her, sitting closer to the basket.

"I was just teleporting around," Kish answered, "Looking for a nice place to take you, but then I found this, it looked old and abandoned so I asked Kuri about it and she said that it used to be her grandfather's, but they didn't use it anymore and she said I could if I wanted."

"Oh, cool." Ichigo said.

"And now!" Kish said as though he were getting ready to perform some sort of grand finally, but instead reached behind a lantern and brought out...her MP3 player?

"Kish, why do you have my MP3 player?" Ichigo asked.

Kish looked down at it, "Is that what you call? Huh. Well, I knew it played music so I looked to see what you had on here and…" He pressed the on button and took a few seconds to find what he was looking for.

_We were both young when I first saw you,  
__I close my eyes and the flashback starts,  
__I'm standing there,  
__On a balcony in summer air._

Out of the little ear buds played _Love Story_ by _Taylor Swift_. Ichigo was a little confused as to why this song would mean something to Kish.

As if he had read her thoughts, Kish said; "This was the first song we danced to, remember?"

Ichigo looked up at him, smiling, "That's right!"

"You have some other stuff on here that's pretty good too," Kish said, he began to search through her music again, "But I think I'll save that for another time." He glanced up, sending a wink to the pink haired girl, she blushed in return and leaned over to see what it was that he was looking for.

At last, he found it. Or he could have just picked something random, she could never tell with him.

_Stepping out on my own,  
__The world was to big to face alone,  
__The mission was clear,  
__To find something sincere, a love unknown._

_I searched through all the universe,  
__My heart crash-landed on the earth,  
__I gave up on my love pursuit,  
__Until I discovered you._

Now the small device was playing _How in the World_ by _Family Force 5_. Kish looked at Ichigo and smiled.

"I like this song," He said, "It makes me think of how I feel about you." Ichigo blushed.

* * *

At the end of the driveway, a bus pulled up and stopped, only a single person getting off. Over his shoulder was a backpack and his other hand was firmly gripping the strap of a duffle bag.

He took in a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. "Ichigo…" He mumbled and began to walk down the lengthy dirt driveway.

* * *

Me: *fake gasp* I wonder who that could be?! Ha ha, I know who it is! But I won't spoil it for everyone ;P Anyway, I should probably get to bed now...*yawns*

Kish: Read and Reveiw please!!!

Me: You know, this story seems more about you and Ichigo than it does Mikuru and Kuriimu. That actually wasn't supposed to happen. Oh well.


	13. Remember

Me: Ta da! I managed to create a new chapter...I am yet again rather tired, I had to babysit this kid today and making rice pudding while babysitting isn't the greatest of ideas. How I got stuck with the job I have no clue, because at first my mom was and then for some reason she left me with the little girl...near the hot stove...which I had to keep bringing her away from...yeah, so anyway, here's a new chapter!

Thanks for Reveiwing:  
**Ryou's fan girl** (Oh, good! I was kind of afraid of that because that seems to happen when I write when I'm tired.)  
**Neka -Broken Hearted Mew Mew-** (XD Yes! Shoot Masaya!)  
**Zuka the Devil** (Thanks! And you'll just have to read the chapter to find out ;P)

* * *

The sun wasn't completely gone yet, it was around twilight and Mikuru had decided to go for a walk. So, putting on her light gray jacket, she was about to head out the backdoor when Kuriimu saw her.

"Hey," He said, walking up to her, "Where're you going?"

"Just for a walk." Mikuru answered. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Mikuru latched herself onto Kuriimu's torso, quite startled, with a squeak.

"Um, Mikuru," Kuriimu said, trying not to laugh as he placed his hands on her shoulders, "It was just someone knocking at the door.

There was another knock at Mikuru slowly let go of him to answer the door. Standing there was a boy with black hair and brown eyes and a tan, Mikuru blinked.

"Um, would Ichigo happen to be here?" The boy asked.

"No." Mikuru answered, the stranger was scaring her somewhat, as did most.

Kuriimu walked up behind to her to try and help, "She's not here at the moment, may I ask who you are?"

"My name is Aoyoma Masaya," The boy answered, "I am Ichigo's boyfriend."

(A/N: XD Yes, I am just _that_ predictable!)

"But Ichigo said- mmm" Mikuru's mouth was suddenly covered by Kuriimu's hands.

"She's not here, she's out," Kuriimu stated, "Uh…I guess you could like, come in or something."

Masaya nodded and stepped in side as the two got out of his way, "Thank you."

"But didn't Ichigo say-"

"Come on Mikuru, let's go out for that walk!" Having cut her off yet again, Kuriimu ushered Mikuru out the door, turning back to Masaya and saying; "Cherry should be in the kitchen, tell her who you are and she'll handle everything."

Masaya nodded and headed for said room as Kuriimu closed the door and looked to Mikuru, "We have to find Kish and Ichigo, this is bad."

Mikuru nodded, looking determined and confused, "But didn't Ichigo say she didn't have a boyfriend?" Kuriimu just sighed a nodded, smiling at her.

* * *

It was at least eight at night by now, and Kish was leaning against the wall of the horse carriage with Ichigo sitting between his legs and leaning against his chest, half asleep. They were listening to random songs on her MP3 player now and quite content to stay there, especially Kish.

"What should we listen to next?" Kish asked.

Ichigo shrugged, "Don't know."

"Well, who's your favorite?" Kish asked.

"Ummm…" Ichigo thought for a moment, "How about Sweetbox?"

"Is that your favorite?" Kish asked.

"No." Ichigo answered, giggling.

Kish smirked, chuckling, "I asked for your favorite."

Ichigo sighed, "I'm to tired." She turned on to her side and buried her face in Kish's chest.

Kish smiled down at her, turning off the pink device, "Alright then, I guess it's time to get Sleeping Beauty back to her tallest tower." Ichigo giggled sleepily and got up with Kish helping her.

"Over there!" Kish looked up at the cloth flaps that made the door at hearing someone whisper a little loudly outside the old carriage. He tightened his grip on Ichigo, just in case someone they didn't know was out there, someone bad. Pai had told him about things that grown human men will do to pretty, young girls if they think their vulnerable, even if they're with someone.

"Kish?" He relaxed, hearing that it was just his brother. The flaps were yanked open to reveal not only Kuriimu but Mikuru hiding behind him, gripping his shirt and looking like something was going to jump out of the shadows and eat her.

"What?" Kish asked. Kuriimu moved out the way so Kish could hop out of the carriage, helping Ichigo down next.

"Um, there's kind of something…not right." Kuriimu said.

Kish looked at him, an eyebrow raised, "What do you mean?"

Kuriimu glanced at Ichigo and then back at Kish, "You remember that Masaya guy, right?"

Kish's eyes narrowed as he pulled Ichigo closer, she looked a little confused, "Of course," He hissed, "How could I forget?"

"Yeah, right, uh, well," Kuriimu stammered, "He's kind of…here."

Ichigo woke up instantly, "He's _where_?!"

* * *

"She's with _who_?!" Masaya was sitting at the bar around the kitchen island, leaning on it with his hands pressed into the countertop.

Cherry blinked a few times, "Um, I just said, she's with Kish."

That was all he needed to hear, Masaya leapt off the stool and ran for the door, he was worried. Worried at what the alien would try to do to her, what he would try to find out, what he even wanted.

Suddenly he was yanked back, a strong hand on his shoulder, and looked to see a tall boy that he guessed was only a few years older than he, with short, spiked brown hair and light brown eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked.

"Uh, m-my name is Aoyoma Masaya," Masaya told him, "I am here looking for Momomiya Ichigo. And who would you be?"

"The name's Kurumi," Kurumi said, "And what do you want with Ichigo?"

"I am her boyfriend," Masaya said.

Kurumi narrowed his eyes at him, "She said she didn't have one."

Masaya froze, just staring at Kurumi for a few seconds, "S-she said what?"

"She said, she doesn't have a boyfriend." Kurumi said, "Now, if you don't tell me what the hell you think you're doing on this property, I can go get one of my grandfather's twenty-two's and-"

"I just told you!" Masaya insisted, cutting him off.

"Then come with me." Kurumi grabbed Masaya's shirt sleeve and yanked him, forcing him to follow him down the gulf where Kuri had told him Ichigo and Kish had gone, just in case something were to happen.

"You don't have to-" Masaya was jerked forward, an obvious sign to shut up. Kurumi did not like intruders.

* * *

"Ichigo," Kish huffed, "Slow down!" Honestly, she was just on a date with _him_, why did she want to see the tree hugger so bad?

Ichigo ignored him, continuing to run back up the gulf, towards the house. Kuriimu had picked up Mikuru bridal style so she could keep up and he was flying rather than running, it was easier when you were carrying someone.

Ichigo halted and Kish nearly ran into her, Kuriimu stopping a few paces behind them. Masaya was pretty much being dragged down the gulf by Kurumi.

"Masaya." Ichigo mumbled. Kurumi saw her and stopped, presenting Masaya by pretty much dragging him forward.

"This your boyfriend?" Kurumi asked, monotonous.

"Well…" Ichigo trailed off, not quite sure what to say.

Kish walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "No. He's not." Ichigo blushed; Kish had just made this probably at least ten times worse.

"Ichigo," Masaya said, "But…I thought…"

Ichigo looked to the ground, her bangs covering her eyes, "Don't you remember?" Her voice was breathy and quiet, "You were the one that said it."

{Flashback}

_Ichigo was walking through yet another aquarium with Masaya, this was the first time they had broken up and gotten back together. She yawned, stifling it with her hand._

"_Ichigo!" Masaya called, "Come look at this fish!"_

_She sighed, walking over, what didn't he understand about "cat genes"? She hated going to aquariums because they always made her want to eat the fish, so why did Masaya always take her to aquariums?_

"_Nice." Ichigo said once she'd walked up to him._

"_Ichigo, are you okay?" Masaya asked, "You seem a little…out of it."_

_Ichigo shrugged, "I'm fine."_

_He didn't look convinced, "Are you sure? Is there something on your mind? You know you can talk to me about it."_

"_I'm fine, Masaya, really." Ichigo persisted._

"_Alright." Masaya still didn't seem convinced, but decided to let it go. He turned and they walked through the rest of the aquarium without much else of conversation._

_They were in the park when he brought it up again, "Ichigo, are you_ sure_you're okay? You haven't said very much, we usually talk more than this."_

"_Honestly, Masaya," Ichigo began, "I think…why is that you always take me to aquariums? You know about…my genes, so why?"_

_Masaya blinked, "Uh…well, I thought you liked aquariums."_

_She rolled her eyes, "They're nice, yeah, sure, but not _all_ the time! I mean…it's starting to seem like you don't care."_

"_What? Ichigo, how could you say that?" Masaya asked, offended._

"_Because, that's how I feel," Ichigo said, "It's like…we're getting bored with each other or something…"_

"_I see…" Masaya said, "Perhaps that is why we had broken up before?"_

"_Perhaps," Ichigo said._

"_Well then," Masaya said, "Maybe…if we find someone, then we should begin to see other people…just to see if we really are…" He trailed off._

_Ichigo nodded slowly, "Yeah. Maybe."_

{End of flashback}

"Oh…" Masaya looked to the ground as well now, "Right."

"If you said that," Kish said, "Then you shouldn't have a problem with me being with her."

Masaya looked up at him, eyes burning, "I wasn't expecting _you_!"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Kish asked, letting go of Ichigo and stepping in front of her.

"Don't start anything." Ichigo whispered to him warningly.

"It means I wasn't expecting her to go run off with her enemy," Masaya said, "I honestly thought she'd know better than that."

"What? You think you're better for her than I am?" Kish asked, anger boiling in his blood. Masaya stayed silent, not answering but only glaring at him.

* * *

Me: There. I hope it was good! I'm like, really freaking tired! I think I'll just go crash...-.- Zzzzz

Kish: Um...Kousagi? You're still at the computer.

Me: Zzzzzzzz

Kish:...Damn, she's been able to sleep just about anywhere since she was a baby.

Me: O.O How'd you know that?!

Kish: O.o weren't you just sleeping?

Me: I don't care, how'd you know that?!

Kish: Uh...Read and Reveiw please!

Me: Wait! How'd you know that?! Tell me damn it!

Kish: *runs away*


	14. Lets Talk

Me: Hi! Eh heh...wow, this seemed to take forever to write, at least it was long to me, I wasn't quite sure what to do with it because the whole Kish-and-Masaya-Fight thing wasn't exactly what I had planned...actually, I hand't really planned on Masaya even being in this until I wrote the part of him getting off the buss...so sorry if this chapter isn't as great as it could be! And it also took for freaking ever because I'm working on like, four one-shots right now, all of which probably won't be finished any time soon -.-

Thanks for reading:  
**-Kira Sohma-With Mimi An Max-**  
**Ryou's fan girl**

**Disclaimer: All I own are my OC's...**

* * *

Cherry knocked on Kuri's bedroom door, "You in there?" She asked.

"Yeah, what's up?" Kuri answered, her voice muffled by the door.

Cherry reached and turned the knob, opening the door, "Um, do you know who Aoyoma Masaya is?"

Kuri thought it over, the name sounded familiar but where had she heard it? "Oh yeah! That's the guy Ichigo was going out with…um, a while ago but they had been kind of going on and off for a few months, why?"

"Oh, well, he's here," Cherry said, "I don't know if it was such a great idea but I told him Ichigo was with Kish when he asked, he seemed kind of…alarmed."

"You told Aoyoma that Ichigo is with Kish?" Kuri hopped off her bed where she had been reading, and rushed to the door.

"Um, yeah." Cherry said, "And then he ran out to look for them."

"Oh, great!" Kuri said sarcastically, she grabbed her boots and slipped them on, quickly walking to the mudroom, Cherry following, and out the door.

"Does Masaya have something against Kish?" Cherry asked as she jogged to keep up with her cousin.

"Yes!" Kuri answered. "They're still down the gulf, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so." Cherry said, "What exactly is going on?"

"Aoyoma and Kish pretty much hate each other," Kuri answered, "Aoyoma is the Blue Knight and Kish's worst enemy, they're always fighting over Ichigo."

"Okay but who's the Blue Knight?" Cherry asked.

"I'll explain everything later, but we have to make sure they don't _kill_ each other," Kuri said, "And that Ichigo doesn't get hurt."

"Then I think you should know, Kuriimu and Mikuru are went down there to warn Kish about Aoyoma." Cherry said, now running to keep up.

"What?!" Kuri raced for the gulf with Cherry following as fast as she could behind her.

---

It had turned into a glaring contest, with Ichigo, Mikuru, and Kuriimu standing behind Kish, and Kurumi standing, rather confused, next to Masaya.

"Wait," Kurumi said, "Why is Kish Ichigo's enemy? Aren't they on a date?"

"What? You don't know," Masaya looked at Kurumi, "that he's an alien?"

"Shut up, Aoyoma!" Kish hissed.

"Alien?" Kurumi repeated, "Dude, you've got to be kidding."

"And he's after Ichigo," Masaya went on, "And you know what, I bet the only reason why is because he wants to gain her trust and weaken her!"

Kish's eyes widened, "Shut up."

"Why? Because it's true?" Masaya asked.

"Kish…" Ichigo said quietly, "That's not true…is it?"

"No." Kish said through gritted teeth.

"Then why?" Masaya asked, "How could someone honestly fall in love with their own enemy?"

"Because I did!" Kish exclaimed, "I don't know why, but I did. And I don't care if she's supposed to be my enemy, we're not anymore, and she's actually giving me a chance so I'm taking it!"

"Hey!" Everyone looked to see Kuri running towards them with Cherry close behind her, they stopped near Kurumi.

"Kuri? Cherry?" Mikuru said, still next Kuriimu and gripping his sleeve, "What are you two doing down here?"

"Making sure those two," Kuri glanced from Masaya to Kish, "Don't do anything stupid or hurt anyone."

"And how would you do that?" Kurumi asked.

"Because-"

"Kish." The monotonous voice of Pai interrupted Kuri.

"Pai?" Kish looked over at him. Pai was standing near the edge of the woods, in front of a tree. "You have some sucky timing, you know that?"

"There are important matters in which I must discus with you." Pai said. "Now."

"And who's he?" Kurumi asked.

"His name's Pai," Kuri answered, "He's an, er, old friend, of Kish's."

"What "important matters"?" Kish asked.

"Concerning Deep Blue," Pai said, "And I think you might want to know."

"I _might_ if I knew what you were talking about." Kish said.

Pai sighed and looked away, "I merely wish to talk to you for a moment, Kuriimu as well." Kish and Kuriimu glanced at each other, confused.

"Does this have anything to do with what you came to the café about?" Kuriimu asked.

"Yes." Pai answered.

"Then why do we have to go somewhere else?" Kish asked, "You had no problem saying Deep Blue was a loon in front of the mews."

"Mews?" Kurumi said, "Like, Tokyo Mew Mew?"

Ignoring him, Kish went on, "Whatever you have to say to me you can say in front of Ichigo, Mikuru, and all the other humans here...except Masaya."

Masaya rolled his eyes. Ichigo put a hand on Kish's shoulder and said quietly, "You go talk to Pai, I'll talk to Masaya."

Kish looked down at her, he wanted her stay, not go off with the tree-hugger, weather they were just talking or not, he didn't want her near him. But, he knew if he told her this she'd be upset with him, so instead he merely said; "Alright."

Ichigo headed off towards Masaya and Kish walked up to Pai, Kuriimu following, and Mikuru went to Kuri, Cherry, and Kurumi.

"What's so important?" Kish asked, showing barely any real interest at all.

"I think," Pai began, "Deep Blue may not be trying to regain Earth for our people."

Now Kish was a little interested, "Really? I mean, I knew he was crazy but, what else would he want Earth for?"

"For himself," Pai answered, "For power."

Kish raised an eyebrow, "And you found this out how?"

"The way he has been assigning orders," Pai said, "He has ordered Tart and I to take down the mews starting from the weakest and ending with the strongest."

"Wow," Kish said sarcastically, "A strategy that might actually work; now I'm _sure_ he's up to something."

Pai smacked him upside the head in a more playful manor than he had intended, "Oh shut up you idiot, I'm not finished yet!" Kish smirked and snickered, rubbing the back of his head, Kuriimu smiled at this, and Pai went on, "as I way saying, he leaves us without plans for so long and then gives us very little detail on what to do when he _does_ give us orders. It seems as though he has stopped caring almost."

"Okay," Kish said, "yeah, that's a little weird."

"Maybe he really just doesn't care anymore." Kuriimu said.

"I fear so." Pai sighed. "But there is that fact that he could be hiding a bigger scheme."

Kish nodded, "But I still don't get it, why are telling us this if we're your enemies?"

Pai just stared at him for a moment, before speaking quietly, "I…I do not wish to continue being enemies."

Kish raised an eyebrow, "No? So what, then, you want to be allies again?"

Pai cleared his throat, "Tart spoke to me yesterday, he asked me who I thought I aught to listen to; my closest friends or a leader who I am beginning to doubt."

"And you chose…?" Kuriimu asked.

Pai opened his mouth to answer but suddenly a large, mutated bear leapt from the trees, swinging its head about and roaring a loud, long, cry.

"A Chimera Anima!" Ichigo cried.

"Where'd it come from?!" Kuri yelled.

Kish glared Pai, "Was this some sort of trick or something?!"

"No!" Pai said, "I have no idea where that thing came from!" Then they heard the mews transform.

"MEW MEW STRAWBERRY! METAMORPHOSIS!"

"MEW MEW MILK! METAMORPHOSIS!"

"MEW MEW CHESTNUT! MATEMORPHOSIS!"

Each being surrounded by a colored light, once it faded they were in mew form.

"You two…" Kurumi said, "You're mew mews?!"

"No time to explain now!" Mikuru said.

"We gotta beat that thing!" Kuri said, and with that the three mews ran towards it, shouting off their attacks.

"RIBBON…STRAWBERRY CHECK!"

"RIBBON…MILK LULLABY!"

"RIBBON…CHESTNUT CRUSH!"

"RIBBON…MINT ECHO!" They all turned and smiled to see that the rest of the mews had already arrived.

* * *

Me: Ta...da. Yaaaay, I hope it wasn't to bad. Hmm, not to sure I like how it ended, but oh well.

Kish: Read and Reveiw please!


	15. Taisetsu

Me: I am so, so sorry for taking an eternity to update! I was having a slight -okay, a freaking huge- writer's block problem with this, but I think I broke through it at least for a little while! And to make up for the long wait I made this chapter longer than they usually are which is about six or seven pages; this one is eleven. :) Oh, and I saw Domino outside yesterday, he's all better now and running around with his little sheep buddies! Which reminds me...my dad tackled a sheep yesterday, it was also the same day that he told me I'm "petite and cute" which was his way of calling me neurotic. I just thought people might find that a bit humorous...and I found the hay loft! Though, this probably means absolutely nothing to anyone who's actually reading this but, I love the hay loft, so of course when they took all the hay out I was very sad because I couldn't sit up there anymore...so anyway, on with what you peoples actually want to read!

Thanks for reading:  
**Ryou's fan girl  
All The Things Touki Said  
Mo12341234**

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi does not own Tokyo Mew Mew nor anything related to it, only her OC's**

* * *

"RIBBON…LETTUCE RUSH!"

"Dragon Swords!" Kish summoned his swords and aimed them at the now soaking wet Chimera Anima, sending a bolt of yellow at it.

"RIBBON…ZAKURO SPEAR!" A purple string of light wrapped around its front legs and with a shark jerk, rammed it into the ground.

"RIBBON…CHESTNUT CRUSH!" Kuri sent the final attack, finishing it off.

Masha collected the alien parasite and the bear cub ran back into the forest. Kish turned to Pai, glaring at him.

"I told you," Pai said sternly, "I didn't create that thing."

"No?" Kish said, "Then who did?"

There was a sniffle from somewhere behind them and they turned to see Tart sitting in a tree, looking rather depressed.

"Tart?" Kish said, "But, why did you…?"

"For Sherbet…" Tart said, "Deep Blue said if I didn't attack, then he'd hurt him…"

"There's another one…" Kurumi said.

Ignoring him, Kuri said, "Who's Sherbet?"

"My cousin." Tart answered.

"Why would Deep Blue threaten him like that?" Kish asked, though it wasn't really directed to any certain person.

"He knows Pai left to come talk to you," Tart said, "He's afraid that everyone will leave if we find a better way to end the war."

"So there is a way, then?" Mikuru spoke up suddenly, "A better way than fighting?"

"Uh…I dunno." Tart said.

"Where's Sherbet now?" Kish asked Tart.

"I left him in Pai's computer room," Tart said, "Why?"

"Bring him here," Pai answered instead, "If Deep Blue is willing to hurt him while you are around, then he'd have no problem hurting him alone."

"Right!" With that, Tart teleported away.

"W-what should we do with him?" Retasu asked, "Sherbet-san, I mean, what are you going to do with him, if he can't stay…er, wherever it is that you stay?"

"On our ship," Pai said, "And I'm not sure as of yet."

A few moments later and Tart reappeared, Sherbet at his side, they both looked up at Pai, "What now?" Tart asked.

He sighed, "I'm not sure."

Cherry whispered to Kuri who made a face and then got jabbed in the ribs, she sighed, folding her arms behind her head, "I guess…you could…stay with us. But only for one for a little while! And it might not even be an entire night!"

Cherry sighed, folding one arm and rubbing her forehead, "Well, at least she tried." She mumbled to herself.

Pai stayed silent, just staring at her, after a moment he finally spoke up, "We have no need to take refuge with the enemy."

"Oh, would you get off it?" Kish said, "They're not the enemy anymore, 'cause to me it looks like Deep Blue is now."

"Kish-"

"Well it's _true_!" Kish said, "He threatened Sherbet, kicked me off the team, exiled me from my own damn planet, and next what's he going to do?"

Pai did not look happy, but sighed and knew that Kish was right; things were only going to get worse if they didn't stop him. "Very well then," He said, "We will…stay with the mews for a short while."

"Okay, so I still don't get it," Minto said, "If he doesn't care anymore about your race, and only wants the planet for power, then why does he care that you're leaving him?"

"'Cause then he won't have anyone to do his dirty work." Kish hissed.

"Where'd Ichigo go?" Kuri asked.

"She's talking with Aoyoma-san." Retasu said.

"If we are having a meeting here then shouldn't your leader be with us?" Pai said.

Kish snorted, "I agree! She shouldn't be alone with that tree-hugger!"

"That wasn't my point," Pai said.

"Yeah, well…" Kish trailed off, staring at the kitchen floor.

"Those matters aside," Cherry said, "We can't have all of you staying here, I'm sorry, but it's just to many people. Grandma and Grandpa won't allow it."

Pai nodded, "I understand, we will find elsewhere to sleep."

"But where?" Retasu asked, sounding more than a little worried.

"I am not sure yet." Pai said.

Just then, Ichigo and Masaya walked in, each taking a seat around the table. "Sorry we took so long." Ichigo said.

"You can explain later." Kish said. Ichigo gave him a look and he put on an obviously fake innocent expression.

Ryou cleared his throat, "Anyhow, it seems that we are no longer enemies with you, at least for now, and not with you four." Everyone nodded, "So then…what should we do?"

"We will find a place to sleep for the night, it is late," Pai said, "And continue this in the morning."

Kuri shook her head, "It'll have to wait till noon, we got to much to do in the morning."

"Like what?" Sherbet asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Chores." Kuri answered. "I have to feed and water my horses, Mikuru has to take care of her sheep, Cherry has to feed the pigs, Kurumi has to take care of the cows with Grandpa, and then someone will have to help Grandma with feeding the broilers."

"Broilers?" Tart asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Chickens." Mikuru said.

"There's the hay loft," Kish said, "Ichigo and I've slept in there before, remember?" He smirked at Ichigo who blushed.

Masaya raised an eyebrow at her, "Momomiya-san, you…you slept in the hay loft with…him?"

"I have a name!" Kish said, glaring at him.

Masaya merely glanced at Kish before turning back to Ichigo, "Momomiya-san, is it true?"

"Er…well, we didn't _do_ anything," Ichigo said, blushing like a mad woman, "we just kind of, laid there and fell asleep."

Kish smirked, knowing this was bugging Masaya, "She was lying on my chest and I had my arms around her, it was very romantic." Masaya suppressed a glare and looked out the window instead, though it didn't help that he could hear Kish snickering. Ichigo just sat there, staring at her hands and blushing.

"Now, now," Keiichiro said, "I think Pai-san here is right, we should all get some rest and start fresh in the morning."

Kish leaned on the table, "If I'm on the couch thingy then where's the tree-hugger?" Though he was really only asking this to see if he would be sleeping in the house or not.

"I have a name." Masaya said, no longer resisting and glaring at him. Kish merely rolled his eyes, not phased in the least bit. "And I already have a room at a nearby hotel."

"Uh, dude," Kurumi spoke up, "The nearest hotel is about an hour and twenty minutes away, someone would have to drive you."

"Oh, I thought it was a lot closer than that." Masaya said, wrinkling his brow in confusion.

Mikuru shook her head, "No. Nothing is closer than twenty minutes. Save for fairs and other people."

"Fairs?" Masaya said, "That sounds fun."

"Oh, it is!" Kish said, grinning, "Hey Kitten, you still have that stuffed cat I won you, right?" Masaya flinched, though unnoticeably.

Pai rolled his eyes, massaging his forehead. He knew exactly what Kish was doing; trying to make Masaya mad. Again Ichigo blushed, glancing at Mikuru and Kuri's bedroom door. She still had the cat; in fact, she'd been snuggling with it at night for the past week.

"Alright then," Ryou butted in so it wouldn't go any farther, "Lets get to bed."

"No one answered Kish's question." Kurumi said. "And who's going to drive the city boy to his hotel?"

"City boy?" Masaya asked, "Not so much; I'm not afraid of a little dirt."

Kurumi snorted, "We'll see about that tomorrow."

"I second Mr. Walnut," Kish said, Kurumi squinted his eyes in confusion; why did he just call him Mr. Walnut? "No one answered my question."

"Masaya said he is to stay at this…hotel," Pai said, "And you, you will be sleeping in the hay loft with Tart, Sherbet, and I."

Kish pouted but said nothing; he wanted to stay close to Ichigo. On the couch, he was only a small space and a door away from her.

"Okay," Cherry said as she lay down a red sleeping bag on a hay bale, "Not the comfiest place in the world, but it's got a roof and you can teleport into the house whenever you need to." Pai nodded, examining this "sleeping bag" thing.

"Everyone set?" Kuri asked.

"Almost," Kish said, "Can I give Ichigo a goodnight hug?"

Kuri rolled her eyes, "Fine. But make it quick." In an instant, Kish was gone.

"Um…Pai-san? What are you doing?" Retasu asked, peering over his shoulder.

"This thing," He said, moving it up and down, "What do you call it?"

"I-it's called a zipper." Retasu answered.

"Interesting." Pai mumbled.

Kuriimu was sitting on his dark gray sleeping bag, Mikuru sitting on her legs next to him, and for some reason blushing. "You okay?" He asked.

She looked up at him, "Um…my sheep."

"Your…sheep?" Kuriimu said. Mikuru nodded. "What about them?"

"Sometimes…they wake up at night, and bleat."

Kuriimu looked confused, "Bleat. Okay."

"I-if they wake you up…just, um…could you-"

"Check on 'em?" Kuriimu interrupted, smiling. Mikuru nodded.

"Thank you…" She said quietly.

In the house, Kish was giving Ichigo a bit more that a goodnight hug.

"Kish, would you get _off_?" Ichigo said. She had been lying on her pink sleeping bag, reading one of Kuri's books called _Black Beauty_ until Kish came in and laid down next to her, wrapping both arms around her and refusing to let go, occasionally kissing her cheek or neck as she hopelessly tried to continue her reading.

"Nope," Kish said, "Not until you give me a kiss goodnight!"

Ichigo looked over at him, "annoyed" could be quite clearly read on her face, and Kish grinned. Ichigo rolled her eyes sighing. "Fine."

That was all she had to say, Kish leaned in and kissed her full on the lips, his eyes closed, enjoying himself entirely too much.

After a minute, Ichigo tried to back away but Kish wouldn't let her, he kept her were she was. "K-Kish!" Ichigo tried to speak, though it was muddled by Kish's mouth. Finally, she turned her head away from his, "Enough already!"

Kish pouted, resting his chin on her shoulder, "But- but I haven't gotten to kiss in so long!" He whined rather childishly.

Ignoring his protests, Ichigo asked; "Who drove Masaya?"

Kish frowned, his grip tightening on her, "Kurumi."

"Oh." Was all Ichigo said, she far more interested in the book she was reading rather than dealing with a jealous Kish. "Eep!" She squeaked when Kish rather randomly grabbed her arms and rolled her on to her backside, the book landing somewhere over her head.

Kish was smirking deviously as he placed each hand on either side of her head, but before he could speak, Ichigo did.

"Kish, go to bed." She said flatly.

Kish's smirk vanished into a pout, "But-"

"Bed!" Ichigo said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kish thought for a moment, "Can I have a strawberry first?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "Uh, sure, I guess."

"Yay!" Kish said before diving in and once again kissing the girl.

"Mph!" Ichigo pressed her hands into his chest to push him away, "Kish!"

"But you said I could have a strawberry!" Kish said playfully.

"Have you forgotten that I'm _not_ your girlfriend?" Ichigo said, Kish frowned, "You can't just kiss me whenever you feel like it!"

Kish sighed, finally sitting back on his legs and letting Ichigo sit up to retrieve the book. "Fine," Kish said, "I'll go to bed." He eyed the sleeping bag beneath him and fingered the edge of it.

"In your _own_ bed." Ichigo said sternly.

Kish gave an exaggerated sigh, "If I must."

"Thank you." Ichigo said, trying to find her place in the book which had been lost when it went flying.

"Goodnight." Kish said.

"Goodnight." Ichigo said without looking up.

"I love you!" Kish said, smiling like a little boy who was trying to convince his parents he hadn't been in the cookie jar.

Ichigo looked up at him with only her eyes, "Goodnight, Kish."

Again, Kish sighed, "Night." With that he teleported away, once he was gone, Ichigo chuckled lightly, shaking her head.

"'Bout time you got back!" Kuriimu said.

Kish shrugged, "I was busy."

"Doing what?" Kuriimu asked, then held up a hand, "Actually, on second thought, I don't want to know."

Tart and Sherbet both made faces, "Neither do we." They said in unison. Kish snickered as he crawled into his sleeping bag. Pai, however, was still examining the zipper as he lay in his own, wondering how it was made and how the makers got it to work.

_Baaa! Baaaaaa! Baaaaaa-aaaaaaaa!_

This was the first thing Kuriimu heard when he woke up at three in the morning. The bleating of a sheep.

"The hell…?" He muttered as he sleepily sat up. When he looked around, no one else seemed to be even stirred by it.

Standing, he made his way down the hay loft stairs and to the sheep pen. There, on the ground, was a panting sheep, bleating its head off, not literally of course, but either way this didn't look right, so Kuriimu, not knowing what else to do, teleported himself to Mikuru's room where he found the girl sleeping rather peacefully on her bed.

He reached down and very gently shook her shoulder. She didn't move. "Mikuru?" He whispered. Nothing. He brushed some hair out of her face, he smirked, sheep DNA was defiantly a good match for her; her hair felt slightly wooly, but it was a nice feeling, almost silky, "Mikuru?" He whispered again, this time she stirred a bit. "Hey, Mikuru."

Her eyes fluttered open and her white eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight, "Kuriimu?" She said groggily.

"Yeah, it's me," He said, "One of your sheep doesn't look quite right, I think something might be wrong with her."

Mikuru sighed, sitting up and swinging her legs off the side of the bed to stand. Rather than getting fully dressed, she grabbed a pair of overalls from the hamper and pulled them on over her pajamas, which was pretty easy since they were just a white t-shirt and gray shorts that, Kuriimu noticed, had a little silver bow at the top.

"Lets go," Mikuru said, walking for the door. Kuriimu followed her out, both being as quiet as they knew how, and made their way to the mudroom where she slipped her boots on and grabbed an old-looking kerosene lamp and a small box of matches, but when Mikuru reached for the door, Kuriimu stopped her.

"I'll just teleport us," He said, "It'll be easier." Mikuru nodded and looked at him curiously, wondering how he would teleport with her, though they'd done it before when they were looking for Kish and Ichigo, but she was too tired to remember that at the moment.

"Here." Kuriimu said, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her waist. She didn't blush or move, she was practically still asleep! Kuriimu teleported them both directly to the sheep pen, scaring two of them by their sudden appearance, but they seemed to settle down once they noticed Mikuru.

_Baaa-aaa! Baa!_

Mikuru broke out of Kuriimu's grip, now awake from the loud yelling, and lit the lamp, flinching when it caught and flared out. She held it closer to the sheep, examining it.

"She's pregnant." She stated.

"P-pregnant?" Kuriimu repeated, "But…how?"

"…I'd rather not explain it." Mikuru said. She knelt down next to her sheep and put a hand on its enlarged belly.

"That's not- I mean, they all look the same to me," Kuriimu said, "How do you tell a guy from a girl?"

"Easy," Mikuru said, now looking up at him, "Look behind them."

"Huh?" Kuriimu said, raising an eyebrow.

Mikuru sighed, shaking her head, "Never mind. Help me, I'll need a towel."

"What? She's giving birth _right now_?" Kuriimu asked.

"Yes." Mikuru stated simply as though she'd been through this a number of times. "Now, could you get a towel?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Kuriimu said, he teleported.

Mikuru began playing with the sheep's wool, hoping it would calm her down. But it began to bleat louder and louder, meaning the lamb was coming closer and closer to being born.

Finally, Kuriimu returned, "I got two, just incase." Mikuru nodded and grabbed on.

"Sit down," She said, "Now all we can do is wait."

Kuriimu sat next to her and an awkward silence fell. Well, it was awkward to him, Mikuru seemed to hardly notice.

"So…" He began, "You uh, like sheep huh?"

"Yes," Mikuru said, "They are…peaceful."

Kuriimu smirked, "Like you?"

Mikuru looked at him, her head snapping in his direction, "I'm peaceful?"

"Uh, well," Kuriimu wasn't quite sure what to say to her reaction. "Y-yeah, I guess." Mikuru looked back to her sheep. Wanting to try and fix things, Kuriimu asked; "So, if you live with your grandparents, where are your parents?"

"Bridgestone Cemetery." She answered quietly.

"What- oh." Kuriimu said. "…I'm sorry."

Mikuru shrugged, as though it was nothing, "It's not your fault."

Kuriimu eyes her curiously, "So…what…happened to them?"

"Car accident." Mikuru said quietly.

_Baaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaa! Baaaaa!_

"Oh." Kuriimu said, and that was all that was spoken until fifteen minutes later.

"It's coming," Mikuru said suddenly, grabbing the towel.

"Huh?" Kuriimu said, "Oh! The lamb!"

"Talk to her." Mikuru said, gesturing to the laboring sheep.

"Talk…to the sheep?" Kuriimu asked.

Mikuru nodded, sighing, "She's been in labor for fifteen minutes, that's…a long time."

"O-okay." Kuriimu said, crawling over to sit closer to the sheep's head and pat it. "Uh…hi, Mrs. Sheep, I uh, I'm going to talk to you…" As if the respond to him, the sheep tossed its head, letting out a quiet bleat. "So…new baby, huh? Must be hard…being a new mom and all…" He heard Mikuru stifle a giggle and looked up at her, "What?" He asked.

"This is Speckle-chan's fourth lamb," Mikuru said, "She's been through this quite a few times."

"Oh…" Kuriimu said and looked back to the sheep, clearing his throat, "I stand corrected then, you must be quite excited to have yet another new lamb, Mrs. Speckle." Mikuru giggled, but stopped and Kuriimu soon found out why, flinching when the sheep gave a loud, rather ear-piercing bleat; the baby was coming. Now. "Uh, so, who's the lucky father?" Kuriimu asked quickly in hopes that talking to the sheep would help with keeping it quiet. But it didn't. It gave one last loud cry before quieting and soon enough, a smaller, much more babyish bleating could be heard. When Kuriimu looked up, he saw Mikuru cradling a newborn lamb in her lap, drying it off with the towel.

Soon after, the mother sheep was resting with her new lamb curled up next to her, and Mikuru and Kuriimu were sitting with their back leaning against a hay bale that had been placed in there, and at some point Kuriimu had ended up with his arm around Mikuru's shoulders, her head resting on one of his.

"So," Kuriimu said, "What are you going to name it?"

"Um…" Mikuru thought for a minute, "You name it."

Kuriimu chuckled, "How about Mikuru? I'll name it after you."

Mikuru shook her head, "No, that won't do."

"And why not?" Kuriimu asked, sounding rather indignant.

"Because, if someone were to call me, or the sheep, it would get confusing." Mikuru said.

"I see." Kuriimu said, "Logic has been inserted here…ummmm…" He looked down at Mikuru and smiled, in the dark, with only the moonlight glinting off her hair, she looked so cute and small and- "Taisetsu." He whispered.

Mikuru looked up at him, "Taisetsu?"

"Taisetsu." He confirmed. Without really thinking, he leaned in and kissed her. Surprised, Mikuru just sat there and blushed for a moment before slowly kissing him back. When they pulled apart, Kuriimu leaned his forehead on hers, and they smiled at each other, both blushing.

* * *

Me: Yay! Kuriimu and Mikuru finally kissed/did something of the relationship sort! Oh, and just for those who doesn't know, "taisetsu" is Japanese for "precious". I hope no one minded the lamb having a baby thing, it was just something that I thought of and went with it.

Pai: Why did you make me so facinated with a zipper?

Me: Because, I thought it was funny.

Pai: -.-...Read and Review.

Me: *smacks him upside the head* What do you say?

Pai: Someone help me.

Me: *glares at him*

Pai: Fine. _Please_ Read and Review.

Me: That's better! :)


	16. Escape Lambs and Spork Fights

Me: I present those who actually read this with a new chapter! :D I think this one has a bit more humor than the rest...hehe, that's pretty much what cures me of writer's block; humor. At least..._I_ think it's funny.

Thanks for Reading:  
**Ryou's fan girl  
Mo12341234  
All The Things Touki Said**

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi does not own Tokyo Mew Mew nor anything related to it, only her OC's!**

* * *

Kish and Masaya glared at each other.

"You think I can't lift this?" Masaya asked.

"I _know_ you can't!" Kish retorted.

Kurumi leaned against the bed of the truck, smearing his hands over his face. "_How did I get stuck with these two?_" He wondered to himself.

Masaya reached and wrapped both arms around the hemp sack hauled it from the truck with a grunt, finding rather difficult but still manageable to lift the sack of chicken feed.

Now Kish reached in and grabbed a bag, balancing it on one shoulder to carry it with only one arm.

(A/N: There's about 100 to 150 pounds of grain in each bag, just so people know)

"Tch, show off." Masaya said.

Kish smirked, "What's this now? You're Mr. Polite all the time, or is that just an act for my kitty?"

"She's not _yours_!" Masaya snapped, struggling under the bag's weight. Though Kish to was having a bit of difficulty, he was managing better than Masaya was.

"Look, would you two just knock it off?" Kurumi said. "We've got work that needs to get done, so quite griping about who's stronger and get to it!" With that he grabbed to sacks of grain, one over top of the other, and carried them off into the barn, Kish and Masaya following soon after.

They deposited the bags onto the sturdy wood table next to the barn door. Kish glanced over at the sheep pen and saw Ichigo walking down the stairs carrying a bag filled with hay, Mikuru also carrying one behind her.

"Hi, Konecko-chan!" Kish grinned, waving.

"Let's go." Kurumi grabbed his arm and all but dragged him out of the barn. Ichigo giggled and continued down the stairs.

"Momomiya-san," Masaya greeted, giving a small bow at his waist.

"Aoyoma-san." Ichigo greeted back, bowing her head a little.

"City Boy!" They heard Kurumi call from outside, "Get out here!"

"Ah, right." Masaya dashed out to help finish carrying the grain inside.

"It must be hard," Mikuru said, dumping her bag out in the sheep pen, "Having two guys going after you."

"Actually," Ichigo said, also dumping a bag out, "It's more amusing than anything else!"

They heard a rather indignant "_Mnaaa!_"

Ichigo looked down and saw that she had covered a small, newborn lamb with the hay. "Aaw!" She said, bending over the wood railing of the pen to brush the hay off, "I'm sorry little guy!"

"He was born last night," Mikuru said, "Kuriimu-kun helped me with him."

Ichigo looked up at her, an eyebrow raised, "Kuriimu-_kun_?" Mikuru blushed and clamped her hands over her mouth. After a moment, the two girls giggled. "So, you like Kish's little brother, huh?" Ichigo asked, standing up again.

Mikuru nodded, still blushing but smiling now. "Just don't tell anyone, especially not Kuri, she's so overprotective."

"Don't worry, I won't!" Ichigo said. She looked back at the lamb, he was a dark, chocolate brown with light gray speckles all over him, "So, what's his name?"

"Kuriimu-kun named him Taisetsu," Mikuru answered.

"Cute!" Ichigo said.

"Thanks!" They both jumped at the sound of a new voice behind them and turned to see Kuriimu.

Mikuru blushed, "K-Kuriimu! How long have you been there?"

"I just got here," He said, "Kei and I just got finished giving the cows water, so I thought I'd see how Taisetsu was doing."

"Oh," Mikuru said and looked back to the lamb, "He is fine."

Kuriimu walked up to the sheep pen and peered in at the little guy. Ichigo began to slowly walk towards the door, "Um, I think I'll go…see what else I can do."

Mikuru blushed again, realizing that that would mean her and Kuriimu would be alone. Together. With no one else around.

"So…" Kuriimu said once Ichigo was gone, now slightly nervous, "uh, what else…do you do with the sheep?"

"Well…" Mikuru said, "I was thinking about setting up a fence and putting them outside for a while."

"Really, I could help with that," Kuriimu said.

"That would be nice." Mikuru said, smiling a little.

Outside, Ichigo watched, giggling, with Kurumi, as Kish and Masaya tried to see who could carry the most bags into the barn before getting too tired. So far, it was tie.

Kurumi sighed and shook his head, "As long as it gets done."

Once all fifteen bags had been hauled inside, the two sat on the bad of the truck, their breathing heavy.

"Are you two okay?" Ichigo asked, walking up to them.

Kish grinned, "Just fine!"

"I didn't even break a sweat." Masaya said.

Kish looked at him, "Yes you did."

"No, I didn't."

"Did to."

"Did not."

"Did to."

"Did not."

"Did to."

"Did not-"

"Both of you go help Grandpa bale the hay!" Kurumi said, now rather irritated by the constant bickering. Ichigo, however, was standing there giggling.

"They can't, Kurumi," Cherry said, just now walking up carrying a slop bucket, "We have to go to the café this afternoon, remember? Baling takes all day."

"That's exactly it," Kurumi said, "If we're gone by the afternoon, and they're still here baling hay, then we won't have to deal with them."

Cherry shook her head, "We need them there."

"Do we really?" Kurumi asked, looking at them.

"Yes," Cherry said, "Now there's not that many morning chores left, so let's get finished already."

Kuriimu held the poultry fence while Mikuru searched the garage for a piece of chicken wire. He looked around and saw many gardening tools, what she had told him was a vehicle called a "quad" and, of course, tractors.

"Found it!" Mikuru said, holding a piece of thick, metal wiring as she walked up to him. They headed out to set up the fence.

Two hours passed and they had finally set it up right. "So, if this fence is meant for chickens, why are we using it for sheep?" Kuriimu asked, standing next to it.

"It's all we have, really," Mikuru answered, "Plus-" she closed her eyes, breathing in, "-they can smell it." Thanks to her sheep DNA, she too could smell the tangy, metallic scent of the hot electricity wafting from the fence.

"Oh." Kuriimu said. He raised his hand and, unknowing about it being on, grabbed the plastic wiring. Mikuru counted. One…two…three..."OUCH!" Kuriimu jumped back, releasing the fence, and held his hand. "What the-"

"It's hot." Mikuru told him. "I wired it to the other poultry fence." She pointed out towards a different field of grass where many dozens of white chickens were kept within the fence.

"You could have told me…" Kuriimu grumbled.

Mikuru shrugged, "That's how Grandpa taught me to not touch the fences."

"By letting you shock yourself?" Kuriimu asked. Mikuru nodded. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Let's go get the sheep!" Mikuru grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the barn, always eager to play with her lambs.

They lead the sheep out in a heard, slowly easing them towards the fence and into it. The only one they had problems with, however, was Taisetsu, the newborn.

"Get back here!" Mikuru called, trotting after him. Kuriimu jogged along side her. "Kuriimu! He's your godlamb, go after him!"

"What?!" Kuriimu said, "Since when was I was godfather to a lamb?!"

"Since now!" Mikuru answered, "And he's closer to you!"

Kuriimu looked ahead and saw that Taisetsu had stopped to graze, having quite the ADD moment, and if he didn't stop soon, he was going to crash into him. So, skidding to a stop, Kuriimu ducked down and bent over the lamb, tramping him, causing him to let out a startled bleat and attempt running, only to run into the arms of Mikuru.

She picked him up with ease seeing as he was so small and carried him back to his mother. "That was a bad little lamby." She told him as she set him down.

Kuriimu smirked, finding her calling him a "lamby" was quite cute. "So," He said, "Are we done yet?"

Mikuru stood up from having been playing with the lamb wool, "Yup. We can go in now." Kuriimu nodded and they headed inside.

* * *

It was a while later when the morning chores where done, the mews, plus the extended party, headed to the café and got something to eat.

Cereal. A new concept to the aliens: sporks.

"I don't get it," Kish said, holding it up at he sat at one of the many tables that had been placed together in the café to fit everyone while they had…brunch? "Who would come up with such a thing?"

"I have no idea." Kuriimu said. He looked up at Kish and without a word the two brothers broke into a fierce, pretend battle with their sporks. At least they were plastic. Ichigo sighed, watching them, and took another spoonful of her cereal.

"So," Ryou said, giving them a strange look, "on to why we're really here, what are we going to do if we're no longer enemies, but Deep Blue is still out for Earth?"

"Who's Deep Blue?" Kurumi asked.

"Our leader- er, _ex_-leader." Sherbet answered.

"Ha!" Kish stuck Kuriimu's finger with the back of his spork, "Also a psycho!"

"Pretend battling with eating utensils is rather childish, is it not?" Masaya said.

"I think it looks fun!" Ichigo said.

"See?" Kish said, "At least Ichigo thinks I'm fun, you probably bore her to death!" Masaya narrowed his eyes at Kish but before he could respond Ryou spoke up.

"Would everyone please pay attention to what's important here?" He said.

Abruptly, Kish stopped battling Kuriimu and turned to face Ryou, "My Kitten and my brother are both very important matters, thank you very much, and so there for I am paying quite close attention to what is important here." He sent a wink towards Ichigo and she blushed.

"You know what I mean." Ryou growled.

"We must discuss Deep Blue." Pai said.

"W-what about everyone on your planet?" Retasu asked, "What will happen to them?"

Pai looked at her. Truth be told, he hadn't given that subject much thought, he found it hard to considering everyone important to him was there. Well, almost everyone. He scanned the group sitting at the table. Those on the mew project had actually become quite important to him, all without him realizing it, how long had it been like this? "We will find a way to help them." He told her. She nodded and looked down at her bowl of Frosted Flakes.

"What if Deep Blue gets someone else to attack Earth?" Tart asked, shoveling a sporkful of cereal into his mouth.

"Then we will do what we've always done," Keiichiro said, "Protect this planet and those on it with our lives."

Kish looked at Ichigo. With her life? He knew that she'd always been risking it fighting him, but since he'd always cared about her, he made sure he kept an eye on her so she didn't get to banged up, but with someone else, they wouldn't care and…he shook his head, he wouldn't think about that! She would be okay through everything, and they'd make it out of this mess. Together. Now he looked up at Masaya who was listening intently to Ryou and Pai and everyone else discuss strategies and whatnot. Kish and Ichigo _would_ come out together, right? He sighed and leaned on the table. The tree-hugger just didn't get what it was like to practically need someone just to continue breathing.

"Kish," Pai said, jolting Kish out of his thoughts, "are you listening?"

"Uh, yeah." Kish said, sitting up strait again, "I'm listening."

* * *

Me: Well, there it be. I hope everyone enjoyed it! I thought the spork thing would be funny. My older brother has some odd facination with sporks and...well, I won't tell anyone _why_ because it's rather gross.

Kish: Read and Review please!


	17. The Possibility of Fireflies

Me: Ta da! Sorry for taking an eternity...again. Heh...it goes like this; my imagination thingy will be working great, going, going, and then it's like an old, out-dated computer, it jsut...stops. That is writer's block for me...anyway, on with what people are actually here for!

Thanks for Reading:  
**Ryou's fan girl  
Mo12341234  
All The Things Touki Said**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Tokyo Mew Mew, Kish would have gotten the girl, and Berry would be full bunny.**

* * *

The plan had been set. For the most part anyways. The mew team and the aliens currently on earth had come to a truce, seeing as how Deep Blue wasn't quite who they had thought he was. And, to celebrate this event, along with it being the Fourth of July, they had a bonfire in the front yard.

Purin, Tart, Sherbet, and Cookie were running around with sparklers by the time night fell, Kei and Bara had gone inside and so only the younger people were still outside, sitting around the fire and shooting off firecrackers.

Kuriimu sat, leaned up against a log that was used as a seat, with Mikuru sitting between his legs as he held his hands over hers to help her with her sparkler. She wanted to hold one, but…she was afraid of the sparks, so Kuriimu was helping her.

Ichigo was sitting next to Kish, watching the firecrackers that Kuri, Kurumi, Minto, and Ryou were setting off, Zakuro and Keiichiro were sitting on a log, also watching, Masaya and Cherry were supervising the younger kids. Pai and Retasu were also watching, though from the picnic table nearby. She had brought a book out with her, but it was much too dark to read now.

"What is it about?" Pai has asked her.

"It's a fairytale, you know what those are, right?" Retasu said, Pai nodded, "It's about a man who was cursed by a witch for being greedy and mean, and the curse was that he was to look like a beast until he was able to find love not because of looks, but because of who he was."

"So…does he?" Pai asked.

"He does," Retasu answered, "A woman's father tricks him in the market and his punishment is that his daughter must live with the Beast, and the time that she was to was not set, and eventually she sees who he really is and falls in love with him."

"It does, sound interesting." Pai said. Retasu smiled up at him.

Ichigo was starting to feel sleepy, but the only thing that she could possibly rest her head on was Kish's shoulder, but what kind of impression would that give him? She sighed and Kish looked over at her, "You enjoying the show?"

"Yeah," Ichigo answered, "But I'm starting to get a little sleepy."

"Kish smirked, "Kittens are always sleepy, huh?" Ichigo giggled, "Here," He leaned back against the tree stump behind him and pulled Ichigo closer to him. She didn't resist, but leaned against him and felt like she could just fall asleep right there. He made for a comfy pillow.

Mikuru jumped as yet another firecracker shot off, a blue one, and exploded in the sky. Kuriimu gave her a gentle squeeze, "You don't have to be afraid," He said quietly, "Nothing is going to hurt you."

She blushed but stayed silent, and her sparkler sizzled down the wire, burning out once it reached the end. "It ran out." She said.

"Heh, yeah, I see that." Kuriimu said, "here," Took it and tossed it into the fire. Leaning back, he pulled her back with him and leaned against the log. Mikuru blushed the shade of overly ripe cherries, but relaxed after a minute and watched the firecrackers.

_Eeeeee bang!_ A red firecracker went off.

As Kish watched a blue and yellow firecracker explode in the sky, he remembered something. "Hey, Ichigo?"

"Hm?"

"What was it that you and Masaya were talking about anyway, back when he first came here?" He asked. He thought it was a bit random, since was a few days ago, but still. She hadn't told anyone, or at least he hadn't heard anything of it.

"Oh…uh, well," Ichigo began, she sighed, "He told me he's still in love with me," She felt Kish tense up, "and that he wants to try getting together again."

"And what did you tell him?" Kish asked.

"I told him I wasn't sure," Ichigo said, "That…you and I had gone on a date and…well, I juset wasn't sure."

"Hm." So, Masaya wanted to get back with his kitten. There was no way Kish would lose to the tree-hugger twice and especially not if he was losing Ichigo.

It was at least midnight by the time everyone went in. Retasu slid the glass door shut after everyone else had gone in and closed the curtains.

Pai watched as everyone said goodnight and headed off to bed, Kurumi having to drive Masaya to his hotel again. "You know," Pai said to Retasu, they were alone now, "I never thought it possible that I'd be here, with you mew mews, and actually be enjoying myself."

Retasu smiled, though rather surprised that he'd admit this to her, and something outside the window caught her eye, it was a lightning bug, "Well," She said, "Possibilities are like fireflies."

"How so?" Pai asked.

Retasu looked at him, all smiles. "You can never know they're there until they turn their butts on!" Pai made a rather off snorting sort of sound. "Are you okay?" Retasu asked.

"Yes." Pai said between his teeth.

Retasu looked rather worried, "Are you sure?"

And then it happened. He began to laugh, apparently unable to hold it any longer. It was quiet and like roaring laughter, just subtle, but he was still trying to make it stop. He hated it when people saw him laugh. He guessed she was going to think of his now as someone who was all to care-free and laidback. When Pai finally got the laughter to subside, he told Retasu, "I am sorry. What you said was rather humorous."

Retasu's worried face melted into one of relief and happiness, "I'm glad!"

Pai looked at her, "You are?"

She nodded, "Yes. And you know," She looked at him over the rim of her glasses, "it's okay to have a sense of humor."

Pai was smiling from the laughing at he looked at her. But, did people really think he had no sense of humor? He did. He just…didn't use it to much. "I have a sense of humor." He told her.

"Really?" Retasu asked, "I've never once seen you laugh like just now, or make a joke…" She trailed off thoughtfully.

"I can make a joke," Pai said, Retasu looked at him expectantly, but he looked away, trying to think of a joke that was funny and that she would get…he couldn't think of any. So he did the one thing he knew how that could make almost anyone laugh. His hands flew to her stomach and wriggled across it, back and forth.

"Eee! Haha, stop! Stop!" She laughed, trying to back away but then got her pinned against the wall. Pai stopped and back away a little, crossing his arms over his chest.

"There," He said, slightly triumphantly, "I made you laugh."

Retasu slid to the floor, her hands smothering the giggles escaping her lips, "I said I'd never seen you make a joke before…"

"Yes, well…" Pai said, "When Kish wouldn't shut up as a child, we would tickle him, and he'd always laugh so hard. It's always been a weakness for him."

Retasu looked up at him. This was the second time he'd surprised he tonight by admitting something. Did he really feel so comfortable as to tell her one of his closest friends' weaknesses? She smiled, still crouched down on the floor.

"Well," Pai said, looking out the window at the barn, "I suppose I should get some sleep."

"Yes," Retasu said, standing now, "I should, too, Ryou-san wants us to work at Café Mew Mew tomorrow. Goodnight, Pai-san."

"Goodnight, Retasu-san," Pai said just before teleporting away. Retasu stood there a minute, she giggled quietly, and then ran off to get ready for bed and get some sleep.

"Where were you?" Kish asked once Pai appeared.

"In the house," Pai answered, sliding into his sleeping bag.

Kuriimu raised an eyebrow, "Doing what?"

"He was with the mermaid," Sherbet said, "I saw them through the window."

Kish smirked evilly, "And what were Pai and the mermaid doing?"

"Nothing." Pai said.

"He tickled her." Sherbet said.

Kish, Kuriimu, and Tart looked at him, surprised, "You…were tickling her?" Tart asked. Pai shrugged, looking away.

"You can't convince us the fishy wouldn't stop talking," Kish said, "She hardly does talk to begin with!"

"It wasn't like that." Pai said.

"Then what?" Kuriimu asked.

"It was nothing." Pai said. He sank further into his sleeping bag. Why _had_ he tickled her? Besides the obvious reasons, to prove he did have a sense of humor, but still, there wasn't any real reason he had. He could have told her he was to tired and couldn't think of a joke at the moment, which, for the most part, would be true, save for the being tired part.

* * *

The next day, the mews, Cherry, and Cookie were working at the café, which seemed to be rather rare. Cookie, though was helping Keiichiro with baking in the kitchen seeing as she was a bit to young to be waitressing.

Retasu smiled brightly as she made her way from table to table, only tripping over her feet on occasion, but it wasn't too bad.

"What's up with her?" Minto asked.

"Not sure," Ichigo said, "She's been like this all morning, ever since she went to bed last night, now that I think of it. All smiles and less clumsy."

"Perhaps she met someone." The two jumped, startled, at the sudden appearance of Mikuru right behind them.

"Hi, Mikuru," Ichigo said, "I didn't see you there."

Mikuru looked down at her shoes, "Oh."

"You really think Retasu met someone?" Minto asked, looking over at said girl.

Mikuru nodded, "Yes."

"But who?" Ichigo asked.

Mikuru now looked to the ceiling, thinking it over. There were many possible people. "I don't know." She said, looking back down at Ichigo.

"Hm," Ichigo looked over at Retasu, "You might be right, but who could she have met?"

Kuri walked up, holding a silver tray, "She spent most of last night with Pai." She said.

"Really?" Minto asked, "I knew they were sitting at that table together, but I didn't think they'd actually be talking."

"Things can happen." Mikuru said.

"Get back to work!" Ryou said from the kitchen doorway. Ichigo rolled her eyes and headed back off to work with the other three. Why didn't he ever yell at Minto for being lazy? Or anyone else for that matter.

They weren't that tired by the end of the work day. Most of the people that had come in were workers from other shops around noon that were on lunch breaks. Nevertheless, they all sat around several tables, and the aliens have come up from the basement to join them.

"I don't get it," Ichigo said, "Why don't you guys have to work in the café if you're with us now?"

"The ears, Koneko-chan," Kish said, "It's the ears."

"So then I suppose you wouldn't be able to go out anywhere," Masaya said, "At least, not anywhere public."

Kish restrained from sneering at him, "No, Aoyoma, I can. I just have to wear a hat, and that hurts after a while."

"Does Tar-Tar want to try some cake, na no da?" Purin asked the little alien, holding up a plate of carrot cake.

"Uh…sure." Tart said, "But why does it have little carrots on it?"

"Because it's carrot cake, na no da!" Purin said.

"And…?" Tart asked, taking the plate and setting it on the table. He looked at it suspiciously.

"The little carrots are made of icing, na no da!" Purin said.

"What's icing?" Tart asked.

"Just eat it." Purin said.

"Okay," Tart said. He took a forkful of the sweet and ate it. His face lit up and he grinned, "This is really good!"

"You aren't giving him sugar, are you?" Pai asked.

"Um…no." Purin answered. "Purin is not feeding Tar-Tar sugar, na no da." And in her mind, this was totally true. She wasn't feeding him sugar, she was feeding him cake. There was a difference.

Pai looked to Keiichiro questioningly, Keiichiro saw this and said to Purin, "Um, Purin-chan, that is cake, yes?"

"Yes." Purin said.

"And that means there is sugar in it, right?" Keiichiro said.

"Purin does not know, na no da!" She said, sounding mystified.

Keiichiro looked at Pai, "I'm so sorry, Purin-chan is young, she doesn't work with me in the kitchen very often."

Pai nodded, "I understand. But…I just hope he doesn't get a sugar rush."

"It's cake, Pai," Kish said, "He's going to get all jacked up and then go crazy, just he always does when he's on a sugar rush." Pai pressed his lips together, he knew it was going to happen, too, he just hoped it wasn't that bad.

Later, after everything had been cleaned up, and everyone changed out of their uniforms, they decided to walk around the small town for a bit so everyone, besides those who lived there, could get to know the place better. There was ahardware store, and antique store, a book store, an old-fashioned pub, a pizzeria called _The Great White Shark_. They decided to stop there for their lunch.

They got a large table, Ichigo unfortunately had to endure sitting between Kish and Masaya, and Mikuru was next to Kuriimu, Retasu next to Pai, Kuri and Cherry were next to each other with Cookie on Cherry's lap, Zakuro and Keiichiro were between Minto and Ryou with Ryou at the head of the table. The waiter came over.

His face lit up with a smile, "Hey, Mikuru-chan!" He grinned down at the girl.

"Hi, Akihiro-kun!" She smiled back up at him. Kuriimu raised an eyebrow at the two.

"How have you been?" Akihiro asked, "I haven't seen you all summer!"

"Busy," Mikuru said.

"How's Domino doing?" He asked.

"Good, his leg is healed now," Mikuru said, "A new lamb was born! Kuriimu named him Taisetsu!"

"Cool," Akihiro said, "But who's Kuriimu?"

"Here," Mikuru tapped Kuriimu on the shoulder.

"Nice to meet you!" Akihiro said, "Then name's Akihro Matsuue!"

"Hi," Kuriimu said, "The name's Kuriimu."

"Okay," Akihiro said, "So-"

"Matsuue, would you quit flirting with the customers and get to work!" Someone shouted from back of the place.

"Eheh, I was just about to do that," Akihiro said, apparently acknowledging that he was flirting or just ignoring that part. "So! What can I get you bunch?"

"Well, while you two were talking," Kuri said, "We decided on something."

"We'll just get a large cheese pizza." Ryou said.

"Righty-o!" Akihiro said, writing it down on a pad of paper, "Anything to drink?"

"Wait," Kuriimu said, he looked at Mikuru, "Are you with the…pizza thing?" Mikuru nodded, smiling, "Okay."

"Right, then about the drinks," Akihiro said. He looked at Ichigo, "What can I get for you, pretty lady?"

Ichigo blushed, "I'll have some pink lemonade, please."

"Right, and for you?" He looked at Kish.

"Same."

"And you?" He looked at Masaya.

"Water, please."

"And you?" He looked at Minto.

"Iced tea, please."

"And you?" He looked at Zakuro.

"Water it fine, thank you."

"And you?" He looked at Keiichiro.

"I would like water as well, please."

"And you?" He looked at Ryou.

"Lemonade, please."

"And you?" He looked at Pai.

"Water, please, thank you."

"And you?" He looked at Retasu.

"Um…" Retasu looked down, pushing her glasses up further on her nose, "I think…I would like water also, thank you."

"And you?" He looked at Kuriimu.

"Water."

"And…let me guess!" He grinned at Mikuru, "Pink lemonade?"

Mikuru giggled and nodded, "Yes, please."

"And you two?" He looked at Purin and Tart.

"Can I have some chocolate milk?!" Tart exclaimed.

Akihiro looked at Kuri who shook her head, "No." He said.

"He will have water." Pai said.

"Alright, and you?" He looked at Purin.

"Purin would like some lemonade, please, na no da!"

"Alright," Akihiro wrote the last of the drinks down on his pad, "I will be right back!" He said before turning and heading to the back of the shop.

"So…who was that?" Kuriimu asked.

"That was Akihiro-kun," Mikuru said, "He goes to my school."

"Why'd he call Koneko-chan "pretty lady"?" Kish asked.

"It's just Akihiro," Kuri said, "He calls people by "dude", "Hun," stuff like that all the time. Don't make anything of it." But Kish, Kuriimu, and Masaya still didn't like him. He was to…_friendly_.

Pai and Retasu were talking about books, surprise, and surprise, "What kinds of books are there on your planet?" Retasu asked.

"Many kinds," Pai said, "We have most of the genres humans have; history is a main one, romances, too, and also science fiction."

"What's science fiction like for you?" Retasu asked, her green eyes sparkling with interest.

Pai looked at her, finding her eagerness to know about his peoples' book rather…was it cute? Did he really find this little human-fish hybrid to be of cuteness? He did, not that he'd be admitting it anytime soon. "It is…well; much the same as human science fiction, really, only since we actually have things such as flying abilities and teleporting and such, it makes it a bit harder to write."

"It sounds interesting," Retasu said.

Pai gave a small smile. Why did he keep doing that? And more important, why only around Retasu? His former enemy, a mew mew, and human. What was so special about her? Though, she was quite a bit more compassionate and caring than any other human he'd met before, no that there's really been that many, but still, he felt more…comfortable around her, and he wondered why.

* * *

Me: :) Hope it was okay, and yes, I know, Pai was pretty OOC in this chapter, but I wanted him to warm up to the idea of being with the humans and mainly Retasu. Just please don't shoot me for it! And as for the Fourth of July thing, I know it well past but the begining of this chapter was written then and that's pretty much what my family did. Well, save for the bonfire was out by noon and we had my older brother's girlfriend over and my older, non related brother's- girlfriend, but he wasn't there because he's off at bootcamp...anyway!

Pai: The tickling was even worse than the zipper.

Me: Yeah...well...it's hard when you're working with writer's block!

Pai: *glares*

Me: Eek! Read and Review please!

Kish: She keeps typing 'nad' instead of 'and'!

Me: *bangs head on the desk*


	18. Thunderstorms

Me: :) This was a faster update than it has been! At least...I think it was. A few days ago, I got chased by a chicken. I was just taking the slop out to the back of the barn where the end of the chicken coop is and there was this one back there, I ignored it and tossed the slop out and turn to go back to the house when it just started running after me, I was like, "O.o wft?!"...it was kind of funny. Anyway, on with the chapter!

Thanks for Reading:  
**Rizu Neko-Chan**

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi only owns her OC's!**

* * *

"Um…excuse me?" Masaya said, standing in the doorway to the small room.

"I'd like you to wash the eggs, please," Bara said, "if you could, my hands are beginning to ache, so I fear I won't be able to keep at it much longer."

"Er, well…" Masaya looked at the eggs in the sink. They looked nothing like store bought eggs which were usually clean, white, and each the same shape, but these ones in the egg room sink…they were various shapes and sizes and varied in shades of brown, some where speckled, some had little spots, some were stained, though with what he couldn't imagine, and some even had what looked like warts and zits.

"City Boy." Kurumi, who was sitting at the island bar, said quietly.

Masaya cast him an annoyed look before saying, "If you wish, I will do the eggs." He heard Kurumi snort behind him.

"Thank you!" Bara said, moving so he could stand at the sink, "I really appreciate it, honestly."

Masaya bit his lower lip as he reached into the water and picked up a 'shit covered round thing' as he had heard Kish call them before leaving for the café with everyone else. He began to slowly rub the crap off, cradling the egg with his fingers and washing it with his thumb. This was, without a doubt, the grossest thing he had ever had to do. They smelled, the water was already beginning to turn an awful brownish green color, and he had to do this with his bare hands.

Kurumi was now standing in the doorway, leaning on it with his arm. "Want some gloves, Mrs. City Boy?" He asked, though he was only joking, they didn't actually have gloves for this job.

Masaya gave him another annoyed look, "Will you ever stop picking on me just because I'm from the city?"

Kurumi looked up thoughtfully, "Um…no. No, probably not." Now Masaya looked even more annoyed, "Actually, I can't really, considering I never started in the first place. So I can't very well stop what I haven't even begun."

Masaya looked at him, "What do you mean? You tease me all the time because-"

Kurumi held up a hand to cut him off, "Actually," He leaned closer, his expression darkening, "I don't like you much."

"What-?"

Masaya was again cut off by Kurumi, "There's something not right about you." Masaya narrowed his eyes, confused, and Kurumi stood up strait, walking away. What did he mean by that?

* * *

Kuriimu and Mikuru were walking down the sidewalk, since it was Mikuru's break she wanted to get some ice-cream from the small ice-cream shop across the street and Kuriimu, not wanting to have to go all alone, went with her.

"Vanilla, please." Mikuru said to the man behind the counter.

"What's cookie dough?" Kuriimu whispered to Mikuru.

"Cookie dough is…cookie dough?" Mikuru said, not quite sure how to answer his question.

"Um…okay, I guess I'll have cookie dough." Kuriimu said.

"Right." The man said and walked to the back to make the ice-creams. Once they got their ice-creams they walked out and started down the sidewalk.

"So, what's all around here?" Kuriimu asked.

Mikuru looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"I mean what kinds of places?" Kuriimu said, "I heard Earth had these things call "beaches" and "oceans". Are there any around here?"

"There's a beach near here," Mikuru said, "It's only a small one, though."

"What's it like?" Kuriimu asked.

Mikuru shrugged, "A beach. Sand, sun, water." She looked up and saw the old bookstore. "Kuriimu!" She said, turning and grabbing his sleeve.

He looked down at her, trying to hide the slight blush that was creeping up, "What?"

"Can we go into the bookstore?" She asked, smiling brightly.

Kuriimu smiled back, "Sure." He looked up, "Where is it?"

"Right there." Mikuru said, pointing to a small, glass door that had _Sherly Books_ painted on it in red letters.

"Alright," Kuriimu said, "Let's go." He started walking towards it and Mikuru didn't let go of his sleeve, not that he minded.

He pushed the door open and led her in. The place was a lot bigger than it had looked on the outside, though the place wasn't very brightly lit, there were several shelves all over the place stacked with books, the walls had books on them too, the floor was made of old wood, and when he looked up at the white ceiling, there was a broken ceiling fan.

Mikuru let go of his sleeve, running over to a section of books marked _Children's Fiction_, and squatting down to look though a bunch of old-looking books. Kuriimu watched her, licking his ice-cream and looking around at all the different books. An elderly woman walked up to him.

"Hello, sir," She said, smiling sweetly, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Not really," Kuriimu said, he gestured over to Mikuru, "I'm just here with her."

She looked over and saw her, "Ah, Mikuru-chan!" She turned back to Kuriimu, "You must be from out-of-town, then."

Kuriimu nodded, "Yeah, me and my…brothers are visiting Berry Sky Farm." He could call Pai, Tart, and Sherbet his brothers, right? And Kish was actually his brother.

Mikuru scanned over the books, finding one with a hard, green cover and sliding it out from under a few others. She opened it and flicked through it, it was what she'd been looking for. Standing, she turned and saw Kuriimu talking with the shop's owner, Mai, who was a friend of her grandmother's. She walked up to them.

"Hi, Mai-san." She said.

"Oh, hello, Mikuru-chan," Mai said, "I was just talking with Kuriimu."

Mikuru nodded, "I saw. Um…" She held up her book, "I would like this one, please."

"Very well," Mai said, she walked behind an old oak desk and shifted through a pile of papers, "which one is it?"

"Hansel and Gretel." Mikuru answered.

"Alright…" Mai shifted through a few more papers until she found a small pad and wrote something down on it, "thirteen yen for fairytale books, please."

Mikuru reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a small, white walled that had a _Skelanimals_ lamb on it. She opened it and took out the money she need, handing it to Mai.

"Thank you," Mai said, taking it and putting it in a small, zip-up pouch. "So tell me, dear, what's with the waitress costume?"

"Oh, it's not a costume!" Mikuru said, "I work at Café Mew Mew."

Mai looked up at her, looking a little surprised, "Really? I'd of thought you'd have to much work around the farm to have time for a job."

"It's only part time." Mikuru said, she licked her ice-cream, it was starting to drip.

Mai looked past Mikuru and Kuriimu, who was looking at a rack of old comic books, "And what of this Kuriimu boy?" Mikuru smiled and blushed, "He seems nice."

Mikuru nodded, "He is."

Mai smiled and handed her, her book, "Here you go, Hun, and have a nice day."

"Thanks!" Mikuru took her book, walked over to Kuriimu and they left.

Mai smiled to herself, remembering back when she was at that age. There had been a boy in her life, too, though the only thing she felt a bit wary of was that Kuriimu was no doubt from the city, and she didn't want Mikuru to get hurt. "He'd better be a _really_ nice boy." She said to herself quietly.

Mikuru and Kuriimu walked into the café, having finished their ice-creams, and found that there weren't any customers. Instead, it looked as though everyone was cleaning up for the day.

Retasu looked over at them, "Ah, Mikuru-san, Kuriimu-san, you're back!"

"Are we closing for the day?" Mikuru asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, "Kei called and said he needed help with moving broilers, so we're going home early." Mikuru nodded, set her book down on a table, and began to help clean up with everyone else.

"What're broilers?" Kuriimu asked, taking a washrag and wiping down a table.

"Chickens." Mikuru said.

"They're the white ones that are kept outside," Kuri said, "but the little ones are the ones that need to be moved, those ones are kept in a separate place in the barn."

* * *

_Cheep! Cheepcheepcheep! Cheep cheep!_

Kuriimu, Kish, and Pai felt a little nervous in the small room that the peeps were put in. The tiny yellow fluff balls kept running everywhere, over their feet and around them and all in attempt to get away from them, so they were nervous they'd step on one by accident.

"What are we supposed to do again?" Kuriimu asked.

"Uh…Kuri said to move them into the next room." Kish said.

"How, might I ask?" Pai said.

Kish looked around, "Well, there's a bucket. I guess we could put a bunch in and move them that way."

"Okay." Kuriimu said.

Kish picked up the white bucket and looked around again, "Now how are we supposed to catch them?"

Kuriimu bent down low to the ground, creeping closer to the peeps. "You're scaring them." He jumped, startled, and nearly fell over at the sudden sound of Mikuru's voice. He turned and saw her and Ichigo standing in the doorway.

"Hi." He said.

"Is there something you need?" Pai asked, silently praying that they needed him elsewhere, as he was backed up into a corner and trying to avoid the little yellow things.

"Kurumi has requested you to help with the outside birds." Mikuru said.

"Very well." Pai said and hastily made his way out of the room.

"We're going to be helping you instead." Ichigo said. Kuriimu watched as Pai passed Mikuru and Ichigo. Neither of them came up to his shoulder. Sure, Pai was tall for his age, but still, both girls were really tiny, it was cute.

"We've got a bucket." Kish said, "We're going to put them in here to move them."

Ichigo and Mikuru looked at each other, then back to Kish. "Why?"

"Because…it's all we have?" Kish said.

Mikuru shook her head. "Watch." Slowly she walked around the heater hanging in the middle of the room and kneeled down, reached her hands out slowly. Most of the peeps ran but a few stayed and snagged them, at least five or six, in her hands. She held them up, smiling.

While Ichigo and Mikuru caught the chicks and put them in the bucket, Kish and Kuriimu switched with who took the bucket to the other room. This went on until they gathered up all the peeps and had them moved into the bigger room so they could clean out the room they had been, after that, since it had started to rain, they ran inside, but Pai and Kurumi still had to set tarps up over the hoop houses outside.

"Will they be okay?" Retasu asked, leaning over the sink to look out the window. She could see them working over in the field, but they it was a little hard since they were kind of far away.

"They'll be fine," Kuri said, "A little rain won't hurt them."

"They should be done soon, though, shouldn't they?" Cherry said.

"Probably." Kuri said, "They're just putting tarps on, right?"

"That's what they said," Ichigo said.

A loud thunder cracked in the sky, causing Mikuru, Ichigo, and Kuri to jump. Ichigo, unconsciously, grabbed the hem of Kish's shirt, shaking because her cat genes made her terribly afraid of thunderstorms.

"I have to go out," Kuri said, walking to the mud room.

"Out in this?" Retasu said. It was beginning to downpour.

"Out in this," Kuri said, "I have to put the horses in the stable, Minto could you help?"

She looked out the window, "But…it's _pouring_ out, I'll get soaked!"

"So will the horses if we don't put them in," Kuri said, "And it takes a lot less for us to get dried off then it does for them, now lets go." Reluctantly, Minto got up from her spot at the table and put her boots on, sliding on a to-big trench coat that Kuri had handed her, and they left.

"Kitty's afraid of the thunderstorm, huh?" Kish said, smirking as he looked down at her. She was still clinging to his shirt.

Ichigo blushed and looked away, "What makes you think that?"

"Ichigo-oneechan's always been afraid of thunnerstorms, na no da!" Purin said.

"I thought they were called 'thunderstorms'?" Tart said, "Not 'thunnerstorms'."

"They are." Sherbet said.

Kish grabbed her hand, "If you're so scared, I could hold you." His smirk grew.

Ichigo looked at him, slightly annoyed and slightly afraid of what would happen if Masaya were to see that should she actually agree to it, but before she could Kish reached his arms around her and pulled her closer. She blushed, now being pressed up against him.

Cherry saw this and giggled, "Why don't we all go sit in the living room?" Mikuru nodded.

"Alright." Kuriimu said.

Retasu cast another worried gaze out the window before following the others to the living room. Kish sat on the couch, Ichigo curled up next to him, and of course he wrapped his arms around her. Kuriimu sat at the other end with Mikuru next to him, Retasu next to her, and Cherry on the armchair with Cookie curled up in her lap. Tart, Purin, and Sherbet sat on the floor.

"How about we tell ghost stories?" Cherry suggested. Ichigo stiffened and shrank back further onto Kish.

"I don't know," Kish said, "Koneko-chan is cute when she's scared, but I'd prefer it if she wasn't."

"I could tell a fairytale." Mikuru said.

"That depends on which one," Cherry said, "'Cause you've told us Little Red Riding Hood about every time we have a storm."

Mikuru shook her head, "Nope, it's a new one I just found."

"What's it called?" Kuriimu asked.

"The Little Match Girl." Mikuru said.

"I think I've heard that one before," Ichigo said, "Doesn't the little girl end up dying in the end?" Mikuru nodded, looking saddened by this fact. Then the mudroom door opened and slammed closed, they heard people slipping off boots and then walking. Pai and Kurumi came around the corner, soaking wet.

"Rain," Pai said, "is very cold."

Kish raised an eyebrow, "What _ever_ gave you that idea?" He said sarcastically.

Pai didn't answer, instead he involuntarily shivered. Perhaps going out in only a t-shirt and jeans wasn't the greatest of ideas, but then again, it wasn't like he knew it was going to start raining.

"Oh, you must be freezing!" Retasu said. She got up and grabbed his arm, taking him to the bathroom to get him dried off. "Kurumi-san, you should get dried off, too." She said.

"She's very…motherly." Cherry said.

They were in bathroom now. "You don't have to-" Pai was cut off by Retasu putting a towel over his head, already having taken his hair out of the wrap it was always in, and shaking the towel to dry his hair. She'd made him sit on the chair so she could actually reach his head.

"Unless you want to get a cold, you must get dried off." Retasu said, attempting to sound stern. Pai sighed and stared at the floor, letting her have her way. Though it wasn't just his hair that was wet, it was also his jeans and the black t-shirt he'd been borrowing from Kurumi. He wouldn't really admit it even to himself, now did he actually realize at the time, but he sort of like being taken of by her, she was so much like a mother, but he didn't see that way. No, he saw her as…how did he see her? He looked up a little at her, wondering this, but he couldn't seem to figure it out.

"Here." Kurumi, who was now in the doorway, threw a hoodie and a clean pair of jeans at him. Pai caught it and placed them over his knee.

"Thanks." He said.

"No problem." Kurumi said and walked off.

In the living room, Masaya was just now coming down the stairs from having been reading up in Kurumi's room, and needless to say he wasn't to happy when he saw Ichigo curled up with Kish. "Hello everyone." He said, though he was staring at Ichigo.

"Hey." Kish said, pulling Ichigo closer. Lightening struck in the sky with a loud _crack!_ once again causing Ichigo and Mikuru to jump. Mikuru curled up and sank further into the couch.

"Right," Masaya said, "I forgot you were afraid of thunder and lightening, Momomiya-san."

"Yes…" Ichigo said, attempting to hide herself in Kish. He smirked, snuggling closer to her, not only had he dreamed of snuggling with her like this, but it was also bugging Masaya to have to watch.

"Oh, I forgot to tell everyone," Cherry said, "We'll be processing chickens this Wednesday."

"Wednesday?" Masaya said, "That's only two days away isn't it?"

"Yup," Cherry said, she smirked, "I bet it'll be fun."

Masaya raised an eyebrow, "Killing animals is…fun?"

Cherry shook her head, "Not because of that. You'll see."

* * *

Me: And there it is. I hope it wasn't to boring, I know almost nothing happened. Oh, and what would people think if I actually had the mews go through the processing or should I just skip it? Would it be to gross? I'm a little worried it would be because of the pranks my family pulls, and they're a little um...not right in the heads, and I think it would be just so funny for the mew team and aliens to go through it. Anyway, I'd try to not make it to long, so...yeah.

Kish: Haha! Masaya had to stand by and watch me snuggle with my kitten! Heh, see? She's _mine_, not _his_.

Me: Well, okay then.

Kuriimu: ;.; I wanted to snuggle with Mikuru!

Me: All in due time, all in due time. Read and Review please!


	19. Chicken Processing Day

Me: Yay! Another fast update! To be honest, I had a lot of fun writing this one, hehe! I hope everyone enjoys it and isn't to grossed out! I kept laughing while writing this because it brought back a lot of memories for me, XD my family is a bunch of dorks!

Thanks for Reading:  
**Ryou's Fan Girl  
Rizu Neko-Chan** -I accept! I hope it came out as good as you're hoping. *is now very nervous*-  
**Rhavian** -oh, that sucks! Yeah, I know, I was reading over some older chapters yesterday and was like 'damn there's a lot of mistakes!' So now I'm trying to look over them _before_ I post them :). I'm not exactly the brightest...-

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi does not own Tokyo Mew Mew nor anything related to it, only her OC's!**

* * *

The two days had passed rather quickly and slaughtering day had already arrived. Everyone was up, though not entirely awake, and they had figured out who was going to be on what station.

Cherry was going to be watching the kids in the shop, while Mikuru labeled and stored away all the finished chickens, Ichigo and Retasu were on the dunk tank, Minto, Keiichiro, and Zakuro were on quality control, Kish and Pai were helping Kei with the slaughtering, Kuriimu was on the scalder, and Ryou and Kuri were on the de-fetherer. Kurumi, Masaya, Akihiro, who was visiting to help out, and Bara were on gutting.

Once they'd gotten all the equipment cleaned off, set up, and ready to go, they started, and it was about two hours into the whole works that the 'jokes' started.

Masaya suddenly felt something went and cold tumbling down his shirt, when he looked down he gasped to see a chicken stomach at his feet. Akihiro, standing next to him, leaned on his shoulder.

"Apparently you can't stomach this." He said, grinning.

Kurumi turned, holding the small intestine in his hand, "Hey, Minto!" She turned to look at him, a completely grossed out look on her face.

"What?" She said, sounding irritated.

He threw the chicken heart at her, "Have a heart, won't you?" She let out a scream it hit her right on the chest.

"Oh…my _God_!" She exclaimed, "That was _disgusting_!"

"Minto, if you think that's gross then take a look at this." Kish said. She turned and saw him holding a chicken's neck as the dark blood poured out and into the big tank beneath the cones. Quickly, she turned away, raising her wrist to her mouth since the rest of her hands were covered in slime and blood.

"Hey, Ichigo, take a breather!" Kuriimu said, tossing a lung at her, but it landed in the dunk tank instead.

"Nice one, Kuriimu," Ichigo said, "Now I have to get that out from the freezing water!"

"Hold this." Kish said. Pai took the chicken by the neck just as Kish had been holding it, so now he was stuck with having to keep down two.

"Blaaah!" Kish walked like a zombie over to Ichigo, which creeped her out even more than it usually would have since he was covered in blood. Once he had gotten over to the tank, he reached in to fish out the lung.

"Doesn't the cold bother you?" Ichigo asked.

Kish looked up at her, grinning, "Nope!" He looked back down at the ice water, still trying to find the lung, "since my planet has always been covered in snow and ice, we can stand a lot colder of temperatures than humans can, so this is nothing."

"Wow…" Ichigo mumbled. Kish smirked, he'd heard it.

"Got it!" He stand, standing up with it, "now tell me, why do you need?"

"We don't," Retasu said, "but we can't have it in the chickens that are cooling off, it might get stuck in one."

"I see." With that, he turned and threw it back at Kuriimu, "Oi, leave Kitten out of this!"

Kuriimu looked over at him, taking a few chickens out of the scalder and setting them on the gutting table, "Why? I bet you'd throw something at Mikuru if she were in here!"

Instead of answering, Kish walked back over to the slaughtering cones and took a chicken out of the crates that they'd been hauling them over in. Kei, before they had started, showed him and Pai how to drive the quad, so while one of them was getting more chickens two of them could stay and keep killing, and they could also switch on who went to get them.

In the shop, Purin was showing Tart and Sherbet how to do some of the tricks she does while Cookie sat on a nearby chair and watched, "Ta da!" She said, landing on the ground from having done a midair summersault.

Mikuru labeled a few chickens and then picked them up by the excess of the plastic baggy they'd each been placed in and put them in the cooler just as Retasu opened the door and brought the wheelbarrow in, several more finished chickens in it, after that she left to continue helping Ichigo.

"How long has it been already?" Cherry asked.

"Two hours." Mikuru answered, carefully placing a sticker on the chicken.

"Okay," Cherry said, "I'll take over for a while, so you can take a break."

Mikuru looked up at her, "Are you sure?"

"Totally!" Cherry said, "Besides, I think Kuriimu looks a little bored." She pointed out the window on the door to him. Mikuru blushed and looked down.

"Um, w-what about the kids?" She asked.

Cherry shrugged, "They don't need to be watched, if anything Purin is watching them."

Mikuru nodded, "Alright." She moved out from behind the table and Cherry took her place, then she went out the garage where the whole process was taking place. She couldn't help but giggle at the looks on Masaya and Minto's faces; they were both obviously completely grossed out at everything.

First she walked over to Ichigo. "How are things going?" She asked.

"Pretty good," Ichigo said, "Except they keep throwing things at each other and-" She stopped, staring in a mix of horror, disgust, and wonder. Mikuru looked and saw Kurumi juggling at least four chicken heads, and Kish was watching him, laughing his ass off at the completely grossed out look on Masaya's face.

"Hey! Mikuru!" Akihiro called, "Masaya doesn't have any balls!" He held up a certain male chicken part on the tip of one finger.

"What?!" Masaya looked at him, slightly angered by this joke, but Mikuru, Kuriimu, and Ichigo were laughing, and Kish began laughing even harder.

Kuriimu looked over at Mikuru. He thought she was so cute when she laughed, how she held her hands up to her mouth, her fingers curled to try and stifle the laughing, and her shoulders shook slightly, her eyes closed. Ichigo saw him watching her and gave Mikuru and gentle push towards him. She looked at Ichigo and then at Kuriimu, he smiled and waved at her, she blushed but walked over anyway.

"Um…hi." She said.

"Hey," He said, "So, how's it going on your end?"

She shrugged, "Pretty good. How are things here?"

"Going good," Kuriimu said, "It's been pretty lively with all the jokes your brother and Akihiro keep pulling."

"So I've heard." Mikuru said.

"Wow," They heard Kish say and looked over at him, "Minto's brains are tiny." Akihiro was holding up a chicken brain which appeared to be even smaller than the eyes.

"Seriously," He said.

"That's not actually mine!" Minto said.

"Relax, Minto," Kurumi said, "It's a joke."

"At my expense and I don't like it." She grumbled.

Kurumi handed her a chicken liver, "Make a joke, towards anyone."

Though she was grossed out, Minto let him drop it in her hand, "Um…your grandfather drinks to much beer?"

"First of all," Kurumi said, putting a bloodied hand on her head, "no ones cracks jokes on the gramps, and second, that was seriously lame."

"You said on anyone!" Minto said, "It was the first thing that popped into my head, and get your blood ridden hand off of me!" She smacked his hand off.

"Ooh, touchy." Akihiro said.

"She's always like this." Kurumi said.

"Now, now," Keiichiro said, "Play nice." Minto grumbled, plucking a few tiny, leftover feathers off the chicken.

She sighed, "Can't we use like, gloves or something for this?"

"Why?" Zakuro asked, "You'll just be going inside and taking a shower afterwards anyways, so there's no point." Again, Minto lapsed into silence and slide her chicken down the table for Ichigo and Retasu to stick in the dunk tank.

Ichigo looked up when she heard a motor start running and saw Kish on the quad, "_Since when could he drive?_" She wondered to herself. She watched him take off for the hoop houses, he wasn't half bad at driving either, though she'd never thought about Kish ever in or on any sort of vehicle, but now that she'd seen him driving one she had been expecting something more…reckless, but he wasn't.

"I have four heads!" Akihiro spun around with a chicken head on each shoulder and one on the brim of his hat.

"Oh my God!" Kurumi said jokingly, Akihiro looked at him, "It's a monster!" He slapped him across the face with a chicken head, knocking all three heads off.

"Dude that hit me right in the teeth!" Akihiro said.

"Ew, sorry." Kurumi said. Then they both started laughing.

Kish came back several minutes later and unloaded the back of the quad, setting the crate of chickens next to the cones.

"There's not that many in there, you know." Kei said.

"Yeah," Kish said, "I couldn't get that many since it was just me out there, they run all over the place and it makes them harder to catch."

Kei nodded and looked around at everyone else; he spotted Ichigo and decided that one person would do just fine on the dunk tank, "Hey, Ichigo?" She looked up at him, "Would you mind going with Kish to get s'more chickens?"

(A/N: That typo is on purpose. When I have Kei talking it makes me think of my grandfather and he's from Kentucky with a _major_ accent.)

"Sure." She said, she turned to Retasu, "Will you be okay doing this alone?"

Retasu smiled at her, "I'll be fine, you go help Kish."

"Alright," Ichigo said. She walked around the tank and over to Kish.

He grinned at her, "Ready?"

"Yeah," She said, "I mean, why wouldn't I be?"

"Come on!" He grabbed her frozen hand in his bloodied one, leading her over to the quad. "Get on and slide back to the 'no passengers' sign."

"Um…is that safe?" Ichigo asked.

"Kei says it is." Kish said, "Besides," He smirked, "If you hold on to me you be going anywhere."

Ichigo blushed, but got onto the quad anyway and slid back to the little white sign, and then Kish got on in front of her and started it, "Hold on!" He told her, having to speak loud over the engine. Ichigo wrapped her arms around his waist and they were off.

Retasu giggled at the entirely too concentrated look on Pai's face. He looked so determined to hold that chicken in place, it was funny. Then Kei, standing next to him, stuck another chicken in a cone and slit the throat with a sharp knife. That was a little too gory for her to watch, so she turned away and resumed her work.

Mikuru watched Kuriimu work for a while, though she didn't know how long, but she guessed she probably aught to go back into the shop soon.

"So," Kuriimu said, "how often do you guys do this?"

"About once or twice a month." Mikuru answered.

"And it's like this every time?" Kuriimu asked.

Mikuru shrugged, "Depends on who's here. When my aunt and uncle come to visit, we just talk and sometimes we'll have music playing, but we always get yelled at when we try the jokes with them."

"Why? No sense of humor?" Kuriimu asked.

"I guess, but really they're just…clean people." Mikuru said.

Over in the field where the hoop houses were kept, Kish and Ichigo almost had enough chickens in the crate.

"So, Ichigo," Kish said, "Having fun yet?"

She smirked, snagging up a chicken and sticking in the crate as it protested loudly, "I guess, with all the pranks everyone keeps pulling its pretty funny."

"Yeah, especially the one about Masaya not having any balls." Kish said.

"That was funny," Ichigo admitted, "But at Masaya's expense, so it was kind of mean."

"I don't see how it's not true though." Kish said, "I mean, when has he ever saved or helped you in a battle? Or even tried to join in?"

"A lot of times!" Ichigo said, "You know this, remember that time he cut you up-"

"The Blue Knight is strong," Kish said, picking up a chicken, "Masaya isn't."

"There the same person." Ichigo defended him, "It's no different from when I meta-"

"It _is_different, Ichigo," Kish said, "The only thing about you that changes is your ears, you grow a cat tail, and you clothes change, but when Masaya turns into the Blue Knight he changes into someone completely different. They are not the same the person. Same body, yes. Same person, no."

"Let's go." Ichigo said, stepping out of the hoop house. Kish stepped out after her.

He didn't like how she was silent the rest of the ride back to the garage and barely said anything for the whole rest of the day. She was usually more happy and talkative than this. Had he gone to far saying Masaya was never there for her? Maybe he should have told her how he was always keeping an eye on her during their fights, and had always made sure she was safe at least from anything fatal. Or maybe he just shouldn't have said anything at all.

Once they were finally done after the long day, the first to take showers was Kish, Pai, and Kei, since they were the ones most covered in blood and if they were to let it sit on them for to long it would become toxic. Then everyone else got to take a shower, Mikuru and Cherry being last since they were in the shop.

When Kish walked out of the bathroom, a towel over his head to dry his hair, all he was wearing was a pair of jeans. And nothing else. Ichigo walked by and saw him, blushing a shade of red any strawberry would envy, and her cat ears and tail popped out.

Kish smirked at her, "See something you like I take it?"

She glared at him, walking right past and into the bathroom, mumbling something inaudible. Kish snickered, she was so cute when she blushed and got all flustered and mad.

"Kish," He looked and saw Pai, "Put some clothes on."

"I'm wearing pants!" Kish protested.

"More than that." Pai said, "Besides, Kei-san and Bara-san don't know we're aliens, remember?"

"How about _you_remember something?" Kish said, "Kei and Bara went to take Akihiro home, Masaya to his hotel, and then he's taking her out to dinner, and since when do you call any human by 'san'?"

"They are my elders according to earth's way of thinking," Pai said, "it is only respectable, and would you just put some clothes on already?"

"Alright, alright, fine." Kish said, "But seriously, since when do you "respect" humans?"

"Just put some damn clothes on, Kish!" Pai said.

Kish sighed dramatically, "Fine!"

Later that night, the girls decided to have a pajama party in the living room and stay up late watching movies and no boys aloud. Of course, Kish protested against this.

"But Kitten!" He whined, clinging to her as they sat on her sleeping bag, "Can't I sleep next to you? I supposed to get cold tonight and it'll be so lonely without you!"

"That's weird," Mikuru said, "When I checked the weather a few minutes ago it said it was supposed to be pretty warm tonight…?"

"Liar!" Ichigo said, attempting to shove Kish off.

"I didn't mean to!" Mikuru bowed at her waist apologetically.

"No, not you, I meant- Kish, would get off me?!" Again, Ichigo tried to shove him off, but he was quite a bit stronger than she.

"But Koneko-chaaaaan!" He whined.

"How's this?" Kuri said, "You guys can stay in and watch a few movies with us, but after that you _have_to go to your own beds." Kish pouted but seeing as it was the best he was going to get, he sighed and nodded.

They stayed up late, watching _Beauty and the Beast_at Retasu's request, and various other movies. Mikuru had asked to watch _The Court Jester_so they watched that, then Purin wanted to watch _The Jungle Book_, and everyone got to request a movie, too.

"Kuriimu, you're up." Cherry said. "What movie do you want to watch?"

"Um…" He looked down at Mikuru, who was curled up in a tight ball and leaning on him, as close to him as she could get, and already fast asleep. "I can't really get up to look."

"Alright then, Kish can look for something you might like." Kuri said. She saw her sister curled up against Kuriimu, looking like the little lamb she was, and didn't want to disturb her. Even if she was curled up against one of the aliens.

"Okay." Kuriimu said.

Kish grinned and crawled over to the stack of movies on the floor that they hadn't watched yet, "Let's see…there's…_Narnia?_"

"Uh huh." Kuriimu said.

"What's _Hard Candy_?" Kish asked.

"Not for kids." Cherry said, glancing over at Purin, Tart, Sherbet, and Cookie.

"Okay, hey Kuriimu, what about _The Brothers Grimm_?" Kish said.

"Sure." Kuriimu said. Kish looked over at him.

"You're not even paying attention!" He said.

"Huh?" Kuriimu looked at him. He'd been trailing his finger along the hem of Mikuru's white satin pajama top sleeve.

"Get your hands off my sister and pick out a movie." Kuri growled.

Kuriimu blushed lightly and looked away, "The Brother whatever is fine."

* * *

Me: And so now everyone knows how my family is on slaughtering day, I wasn't expecting it to take up most of the chapter but it did. Although, they haven't done any of that since Dan was sent off to boot-camp...*sigh* I miss him. And my sister...well, at least I can email Nina and talk to her over the phone so it's not _that_ bad.

Kish: XD Mayaya's got no balls!

Me: You're seriously still laughing about that?

Kish: Yes! *laughing his ass off* And they're freaking _tiny_!

Me: Yeaaaaah. So anyway, Read and Review please!


	20. Attack of the SixFoot Chicken

Me: Woot! I has fifty-one reviews! Thank you so very, very much to everyone who revieweded! I'm a little hyper now, though I don't rightly know why, heh! Anyway, to anyone with weak stomachs/is a vegetarian and reading this, I'm very sorry about the last chapter, it's part of farm life -my life-, and I thought it would be interesting...I'm sorry! -bows apologetically- I hope no one was to upset or anything by it! And also, I have a sort-of idea of what I'm going to do with the story now, which means that the end is near. ^^ This be the first story I've ever actually finished! I feel so happy!

Thanks for Reading:  
**Rizu Neko-Chan  
Moonyblue02**

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi owns not but her OC's!**

* * *

Everyone watched the Brothers Grimm, either on the floor or on the couch. Mikuru had been woken up by the sound of it starting, but apparently had decided to stay where she was, curled up next to Kuriimu.

The movie was interesting, how they mixed a bunch of different fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and such to create a completely different story, and how they had Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm -two brothers that apparently collected fairy tales in real life- setting up props and whatnot to trick towns people into thinking there actually was such things as witches and evil spirits, there actually was but Wil wouldn't believe it for the longest time.

By the time the movie was over, Ichigo had fallen asleep on her sleeping bag, Kish was next to her, one arm resting over her back since she wouldn't let him get any closer -she was still mad about what he'd said about Masaya-, Kuriimu and Mikuru were curled up on the couch together, Pai and Retasu at the other end, Purin and Tart in the middle, Cookie and Sherbet were on the floor beneath them, Minto and Zakuro were on an opened sleeping bag, and Kuri and Cherry were both on their own sleeping bags. Ryou and Keiichiro had gone upstairs to the spare bedroom a while ago.

Somehow the TV had been turned off so the only light was from the moon shining bright outside. For some reason, in this most peaceful of nights, a little monkey girl stirred in her sleep, her yellows eyes fluttering to find that she was resting quite comfortably against an alien's shoulder. She sat up, stretching, saw the moon shining outside, and slowly slid off the couch. She tiptoed her way around all the sleeping forms on the floor and silently walked across the kitchen to the sliding glass door on the other side of the room. She unlocked it and slid it open, stepping out to the cool night air. The moon was shining so bright tonight, it was truly a beautiful sight, casting the whole world in a pale shade of blue. She breathed in the night air, enjoying the clean feeling it left in her lungs.

Tart awoke next, his eyes snapping open as he slid from the curled up semi-sitting position he had been in before to lying on the couch. Where'd Purin go? He crawled off the couch, carefully made his way around all the sleeping people and to where he saw the small form standing outside the sliding glass door. With short yet quick he made his way over to her and slid the door open.

"Tar-Tar?" Purin asked, turning to look at him.

"Hey," Tart said, "What're you doing up?"

"What are _you_doing up, na no da?" Purin asked.

Tart smirked and stepped out, "I asked you first."

Purin sighed and shrugged, "Purin just woke up, na no da, though she doesn't know why, but she did. Now why is Tar-Tar up, na no da?"

"Same here, I guess," Tart said, "I just woke up and saw you out here, so I thought I'd see what you were doing outside in the middle of the night."

Purin smiled and looked up at the star-filled sky, "Nights like this always make Purin think about Mom, na no da."

"Why's that?" Tart asked, "I mean you see her all the time at home, right?"

Purin looked down at her feet, her hands clasped behind her back, "Nope."

"Why not?" Tart asked.

"Purin's mom died a few years ago, na no da," Purin said, "she's so pretty, that's why nights like this always make Purin think of her, na no da."

"Oh…" Tart said.

Purin beamed a smile at him, "Let's play a game, na no da!"

Tart raised an eyebrow at her. What was with the sudden mood swing? "Um, sure. What game?"

"It's called Twenty Questions, na no da!" Purin said.

* * *

Tart and Purin didn't get back inside until much later, so to say they had some trouble waking up for breakfast. But it seems it would be delayed seeing as Kei, who usually was the one to make it with Cherry, was talking to everyone. He had the girls sitting on the bench and the guys sitting on the other side of the table.

"Now I know these young fellows helped yesterday with the chickens," He said, "But that does _not_ mean they can just sleep here with you girls!"

"Please, Grandpa," Kuri said, "I- we agreed that they could stay and watch a few movies with us but then they'd have to go, but…we ended up falling asleep."

"I can understand that," Kei said, "But you should a' been more careful, now I've been young before and I know what you can get up to."

Everyone blushed, though Pai and Zakuro both hid it well, and Retasu looked like she was going to faint from the mere suggestion.

"Now," Kei continued, "this will be only a warning, but if I find any sort of inappropriate behavior there will be consequences."

"Yes sir!" They all said in unison.

"I'll get started on breakfast then," Kei said, "Cherry would you mind helping?"

"Sure!" Cherry said and hopped off the bench, running to the kitchen to help her grandfather.

"And would one of you go out to collect the eggs?" Kei asked.

"I will!" Mikuru said, raising her hand in the air and waving it.

Kei looked at her, "Since when do you offer to go around the chickens?"

"Um…" Mikuru lowered her hand and twiddled with her fingers in her lap, "I wanted to set up the box brutter to put some eggs in it."

"Alright," Kei said, "I don't mind, but you might want to ask your grandmother first."

"Okay!" Mikuru hopped off the bench and ran out of the room to find Bara.

"Would one of you go with her?" Kei asked, "She has a slight fear of the chickens, always afraid they'll attack her."

"Chickens…can attack people?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, yes, if you get 'em to angry," Kei said, "some of 'em do when you try and take their eggs, buts overall it's really not too bad."

"I'll go," Kuriimu said.

Kei looked at him warily but said, "Alright, just be careful out there, that barn can be pretty dangerous."

Kuriimu nodded, "Yes, sir!"

Mikuru ran back into the room, smiling excitedly, "She said I could!"

While everyone helped prepare breakfast, Mikuru and Kuriimu went out to get eggs. They were in the process of making pancakes when Ryou and Keiichiro came down the stairs.

"Good morning sleepy heads!" Cherry said.

"Hi…" Ryou wasn't entirely awake yet as he walked over to the bar and slid up onto a barstool.

"Good morning!" Keiichiro said, smiling brightly. Ryou folded his arms on the bar around the island counter and leaned on them, mumbling something inaudible about morning people.

Cherry was amused at this, "You would like some coffee, I take it?" Ryou nodded silently. "Alright, just a sec." She turned to the counter next to the sink and started a pot of coffee.

"Where's Kurumi?" Kuri asked, "Shouldn't he be up by now?"

"He's been up for a while," Kei said, "he went out to do his chores and then pick up that Masaya fellow that's been helping out around here. He should be getting back soon though."

Kish glared into the bowl of pancake batter he was mixing. Masaya hadn't been there the night before, so of course _he_didn't get in trouble, the stupid tree hugger. Not that he regretted getting to spend a night next to Ichigo, and at least they only got warning, if Kei had wanted he could have banned them from ever going to the farm again.

In the chicken coop, Mikuru and Kuriimu were still collecting eggs. Kuriimu was getting the eggs from the nesting boxes on one side of the coop and Mikuru was getting the other.

"Ow!" She squeaked.

"What?" Kuriimu asked, looking over.

"It pecked me…" Mikuru said. She sighed, "I don't like chickens…"

Kuriimu chuckled and stood up, walking over with his basket of eggs and said, "Here, I'll get it."

"Thank you!" Mikuru said.

Kuriimu seemed to be better at getting the eggs from the chickens, mainly because it didn't hurt him so much as it did her when they pecked him. He simply reached under the chicken, ignoring the persistent pecking at his wrist, and pulled his hand back out holding three eggs.

"Yay!" Mikuru said, clapping a few times. Kuriimu smiled at her.

They stood and finished up collecting the eggs, leaving through the back door of the barn. Kuriimu slide it open and they stepped out, Mikuru sliding it closed behind them. They began their walk back to the house when Mikuru suddenly stopped.

Kuriimu looked back at her, "What's up?"

"T-the chicken…" She said, pointing to the black hen standing a few feet in front of her.

"It's just a chicken, Mikuru," Kuriimu said, "You were fine in the coop so-"

He was cut off when the chicken began to grow ten times its size, morphing into some mutated creature that stood at least six feet tall.

"Oh…" He said. She must have seen the parasite alien infect it.

"MEW MEW MILK! METAMORPHOSIS!" Mikuru transformed into her mew form with a flash of white light.

* * *

Kuri stopped pouring the batter into the pan suddenly and looked up; something wasn't right.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked.

Kuri set the bowl down and said, "Mikuru and Kuriimu have been gone to long, I'm going to go look for them." She handed the bowl to Kish quickly.

"Um, I'll go too." Ichigo said, guessing that Kuri wasn't just worried about Kuriimu being alone with Mikuru.

"Me too," Retasu said and followed. Minto, Zakuro, Pai, Kish, and Tart and Purin following after.

"Well," Kei said, "Does it really take a search party to go to the chicken coop?"

Cherry looked over at the bowl that Kish had so hurriedly put on the counter, "I think it does."

"MEW MEW STRAWBERRY! METAMORPHOSIS!""MEW MEW MINT! METAMORPHOSIS!""MEW MEW LETTUCE! METAMORPHOSIS!""MEW MEW PUDDING! METAMORPHOSIS!"

"MEW MEW ZAKURO! METAMORPHOSIS!""MEW MEW CHESTNUT! METAMORPHOSIS!"

Each of the girls glowed their signature colors as they ran towards the back of the barn, the alien flying overhead.

"RIBBON…MILK LULLABY!" They heard Mikuru yell.

Once they reached her and Kuriimu, they stopped and stared at the giant chicken.

"Oh…my God," Kuri said.

"It's the attack of the six-foot chicken, na no da!" Purin exclaimed.

"STRAWBERRY BELL!" Ichigo summoned her weapon and was the first to run at it. "RIBBON…STRAWBERRY CHECK!"

Minto flew up into the air and readied her bow, "RIBBON…MINT ECHO!"

"You're here!" Mikuru said, just before Kuriimu dived down from the sky and swept her out of the way of the Anima's giant foot. He landed on the roof of the barn with the blushing little mew.

"RIBBON…LETTUCE RUSH!" Retasu sent a wash of water at it.

"Fuu Rei Sen!" Pai sent an eclectic bolt at the Anima, electrocuting it from the combination of water and static.

"RIBBON…CHESTNUT CRUSH!"

"RIBBON…PUDDING RING INFERNO!"

"RIBBON…ZAKURO SPEAR!"

With the three attacks and Kish swinging at it with his Dragon Swords, the Chimera Anima was destroyed some what easily, though it did take more that just the mews.

Kuriimu jumped off the roof, still hold Mikuru bridal style, and quickly flew down to the ground and set Mikuru on her feet.

"Where'd that come from?" Ichigo asked, looking at Kish, Pai, and Tart.

"I don't-" Kish was cut off when another Chimera Anima was created out of one of the bulls that had been standing in the nearby pasture.

"What the heck?!" Minto exclaimed, "Who's doing this?!"

The mutated bull dug its feet at the ground and made ready to charge, and did so heading strait for Ichigo, but a streak of blue flashed across, snagging her, just before she got hit.

"Blue Knight!" Ichigo gasped. He smiled down at her and flew at the Chimera Anima.

Kish glared at the Blue Knight and also flew at the Anima with his own swords. He didn't blame him for saving Ichigo, if anything he thanked him for it, but he didn't like that fact that he was always the one to save her.

"RIBBON…MILK LULLABY!" Mikuru shot off her attack just as Kuriimu went at the Anima with his own daggers, which looked more like wooden stakes than daggers but hey, he was from a different planet.

* * *

Kurumi stood next to his truck, watching the battle go and wishing he could do something to help his sisters, but he couldn't, which was why he'd sent Masaya out there. His brown eyes darted between the girls, watching each of them as closely as he could from his besides the red vehicle.

He saw light and dark green streaks dart around, pink ones, blue ones, yellow and orange ones, each color of the mews and liens darted around either in the sky or on the ground, sounding off attacks and on occasion a rush of water blast the creature. This made Kurumi all the more anxious for them to beat the thing and return safely. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kei walk past a window in the kitchen, he ducked down so he wouldn't get seen and asked what was going on and why he and Masaya hadn't come in yet and where everyone else had run off to, but he could still see the fight going on.

Needless to say, when they did finally manage to beat it and run over to him, each of the mews powering down on their way, he was relieved.

"What was that thing?" He asked, standing up.

"That was a Chimera Anima." Kuri said, "We told you about those, remember?"

"Right." Kurumi said, "Well, lets get inside before Grandpa gets to suspicious." Without any of them see it, he scanned over them for any blood spots on their clothes or bruises and cuts and whatnot, and thankfully couldn't find much of anything.

* * *

"This," Mikuru said, holding up the small, white Styrofoam box with the glass window on the top, "is called a box brutter."

"What does it do?" Kuriimu asked as he watched Mikuru set it on the living room coffee table and take the lid off.

"You put eggs in it," Mikuru said, "and after a while, if your lucky, they'll hatch into little baby chickens."

Kuriimu took two eggs out of the basket on the floor and cradled them in his hands, "why not just let the chickens that lay the eggs hatch them?"

"Because some of them eat the eggs," Mikuru said, "which isn't a happy thing. And if there's nothing in the egg, then it can't become a chick."

"I see." Kuriimu studied the eggs in his hands, examining every part of them, "and how does the egg turn into a chick?"

"Not the egg itself," Mikuru said with a small giggle, "you see, there's this little white spot on the yolk, and that's what grows into a chick."

"Whenever Cherry makes eggs I never see any white spot on the yolks." Kuriimu said.

"That's because it's barely visible, you have to really look for it." Mikuru said, "And by the time the eggs get to you, the little white spot has been cooked off, so it can't become a chick anymore."

Kuriimu stared off into space, a metal image flashing through his mind of a baby chicken growing in his stomach. "Thank God." He said. "So…if the chicks come from the spot then what's the yolk and white part for?"

"The yolk is what gives the baby nutrition inside the egg," Mikuru said, "and the white part…I think it's the yolk sack that protects it."

Kuriimu processed all this new information inside his mind for later use should such a need ever arise, and came to a conclusion. "Eggs are weird."

* * *

Me: Dada! ^^ I know, not much happened in this chapter, but did put a little TxPness in there, which is good because I thought there wasn't enough! And I put something a little edjimicatinal -on purpose typo- in the end, hehe, though I'm not sure how entirely accurate it is! I'm still hyper! And can't stop laughing for some reason! :D

Kish: She is scary when hyper...

Me: :D Read and Review pwease!

Kish: Typo!

Me: I know! :D


	21. Magical Mr Mistoffelees

Me: Ta da! I've finally mustered up a new chapter! I was hoping to make it longer than this, but...it wasn't...;.; I'm sorry! Anyway, I probably would have had it up last night if we hadn't had chicken slaughtering yesterday, so...I couldn't write, but it's up now! ^^

Thanks for Reading:  
**Mo12341234**

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi owns nothing, only her OC's!**

* * *

"Pai and Retasu sitting in a tree," Tart sang, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Shut up before I have to kill you." Pai threatened, though part of the song wasn't entirely a lie, he and Retasu were sitting in a tree, though none of the other things were happening. Or so he thought, love did usually come first and they _were_ sitting in a tree. Why, though? He actually wasn't to sure, he had seen her sitting out there, all alone, sitting in the tree with a book, though she didn't really look all that interested in it, so he went out to sit with her. And that was okay. They weren't enemies anymore, and that made it okay. Right? Yes. Okay.

"First comes the drinks, then comes the lovin', then comes a baby in a ba-by carriage!"

"Oh dear…" Retasu mumbled, blushing like mad.

"Tart, where on planet Earth did you hear that version?" Pai asked.

"Kish." Tart said.

Pai sighed, irritated, "If you must sing any version then I much rather it be the one that is more…appropriate for someone your age."

Tart grinned, "Pai and Reta-su sitting in a tree-"

"Silence!" Pai grabbed a twig from the three and threw it down at the boy.

"Ow…" Tart mumbled rubbing where the branch hit his head.

"Tart, are you okay?" Retasu asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tart said. He smirked up at Pai, "Looks like your girlfriend doesn't think you should throw hard stuff at me."

Retasu blushed again and Pai glared at him, "Leave before you get any further injuries."

Tart was gone in the blink of an eye. He knew not to mess around when Pai was pissed, and this was one of those times.

"I am sorry about him," Pai said, "He is young."

Retasu nodded, "Yes, I understand, my brother is around his age."

"You have a brother?" Pai asked.

Retasu nodded, "Hai, his name is Umi. He is a sweet boy, I miss him."

Pai stared at her. He had never thought of the mews having families before, it was just not something that had ever come up. Did the other mews have siblings too? He blinked and noticed Retasu looking back at him curiously.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Nothing." Pai said, looking away.

"Do you have any siblings?" Retasu asked.

"I don't," Pai said, "Tart doesn't either. It is rare on for my people to have more than one child."

"So…Kish and Kuriimu are a special case, then?" Retasu asked.

Pai smirked, "Yeah, they're a special case alright." Retasu giggling.

Inside the house, Kish and Kurumi were arm wrestling, Ichigo, Kuriimu, Mikuru, Kuri, Masaya, and Cherry all watching.

_Slam!_

"Ow…!"

Kuriimu sat back, crossing his arms over his chest triumphantly, "Tch, see? Beat you."

Kish glanced at him before sliding his hand off the table and rubbing it. "Luck." Kish mumbled. Kurumi rolled his eyes.

"It's okay to admit defeat," Masaya said.

Kish glared at him, "Fine, I challenge _you_ to an arm wrestle; we'll just see how _that_ works out."

Masaya hesitated a bit before accepting the challenge.

Ichigo rolled her eyes, "Guys are so competitive."

"Oh, I just remembered something!" Cherry said, "There are new kittens in the barn, a black one, a white one, and a black and white splotched one."

"Cute." Mikuru said.

"Can we see them?" Ichigo asked.

Cherry shrugged, "Sure, I guess, but they're a bit skittish."

_Wham!_

"Aaah…"

They looked at the two that were arm wrestling. Kish was grinning, pinning Masaya's hand down to the table

"I win," He said.

"Hey, Kuri, what's the date?" Kurumi asked.

"Ehm…I don't know," She answered.

"Hm…it should be sometime in July, right?" Kurumi asked.

"Yeah, somewhere around there." Kuri said.

"Is the date important?" Ichigo asked.

"Oneechan's birthday is coming up soon." Mikuru said.

"Yup, just one more year until I can get off this farm and join the Air Force." Kurumi said.

"You want to join the Air Force?" Ichigo asked. Kurumi nodded.

"What's the Air Force?" Kish asked.

"A branch of the human military." Ichigo answered.

"Hm…so, didn't someone say something about kittens?" Kish asked.

Cherry nodded, "there's three new ones in the barn."

"Can we see them?" He asked.

"That's what Ichigo just asked!" Mikuru said.

"Go on, go see them." Cherry said.

Kish grabbed Ichigo's hand and stood, "Let's go, Koneko-chan!" He towed her out the door and Masaya jumped up, following with Mikuru and Kuriimu.

"They should be in the cat room!" Cherry called after them.

And there they were, in a small room in the barn that had a sliding door, hiding under several planks of wood that were propped up against the wall. The smallest of them was the white one, the biggest the black and white one, and the one in-between sized one was the black one.

"Aw," Ichigo bent down and pet the black one, which seemed to love it, but the others dashed away. "I wonder where their mother is…"

"Kish bent down behind Ichigo and reached around her, picking the kitten up. "Maybe you should name him." Masaya felt a twinge of jealousy at the sight of Kish directly behind Ichigo, so close and nearly holding her in his arms.

"Oh, er…name him what?" Ichigo asked.

"Anything you want." Mikuru said. "Kuriimu named the new lamb Taisetsu!"

Kish raised an eyebrow, "Kuriimu…named a lamb Taisetsu?" Mikuru nodded, he smirked, "Heh, probably because he was looking at you."

"Why?" Mikuru asked.

"…Never mind." Kish said. He set the kitten on Ichigo's lap, though he was still holding him. Mikuru sat there, now rather confused.

"Mr. Mistoffelees!" Ichigo said.

"What?" Kish asked.

"What's Mr. Mistoffelees?" Masaya asked.

"What I'm going to name him!" Ichigo said.

Kuriimu spotted something on the kitten's eye and wiped it away. "Ew…" He mumbled. The 'stuff' he had wiped away was yellow, and looked much like pus.

"That's not good." Mikuru said.

"Pus on the eyes," Masaya said, "What's it mean? Besides infection of course."

"Is he okay?" Ichigo asked.

"He has…um…" Mikuru looked deep in thought, "I don't remember what it's called, but their usually born with it, you can get rid of the…infection if you catch it soon enough, but if you don't he'll…" She trialed off, biting her lower lip.

"Is there anything we can do for him?" Kish asked.

"We have an antibiotic for cattle." Mikuru said.

"Would that really work?" Ichigo asked.

"An antibiotic for cattle would be to strong for a kitten," Kuriimu said.

Mikuru shook her head, "We've used it on a cat before, and she was fine, you just have to use the right measurements."

"Should we try giving him the antibiotic?" Kish asked, "How do you give it to him anyway?"

"A shot." Mikuru said.

"What're you all lookin' at?" They looked to the doorway and saw Kei standing there, an empty feed bag in hand.

"A kitten!" Mikuru said, "But…he has that infection thing."

"Hm, let me see him." Kei said, holding a hand out.

Kish and Ichigo stood, she turning and placing the kitten in his hand. Kei bought the animal closer to him, examining his eyes and nose and mouth.

"Yup," He said, "he's a sick one all right."

"Maybe we could give him a shot?" Ichigo said, "Mikuru said you had stuff."

Kei shook his head, "There's no way you'll be able to chase this little guy around the barn every day just to give him a shot." Ichigo looked to the floor, sad, they were all saddened for the kitty, Kei looked at them and after a minute, he gave in, "why don't you take him inside? It's been a while since we've had a cat."

"Really?" Mikuru asked, looking up.

Kei sighed and nodded, "Sure, go ahead. We still got all the cat stuff, right?" Mikuru nodded, "alright then, name him and take him in. Oh, but make sure your grandmother is okay with it first."

"Of course!" Mikuru said, standing. They went inside and found Bara, who was sitting at her computer, doing some sort of paperwork.

"Oh," She said, "how cute!"

"Grandpa said we could keep him inside so long as you were okay with it." Mikuru said.

"Oh…well, I suppose, he's a barn cat isn't he?" Bara said.

"Yes." Mikuru said.

"I guess, are going to give him shots? I'm sure he'll need those." Bara said.

"We've already got it figured out!" Ichigo said.

Bara smiled, "So, have you named him yet?"

"Mr. Mistoffelees!" Kish said.

Bara let out a soft laugh, "Alright, go give him a shot and get him set up. Kuri or Cherry should know where the antibiotics are."

---

That night, once everyone had gotten into bed, they had the kitten in a large cat crate, so he couldn't use the bathroom in the bedroom and would have to use the litter box they gave him. He also had a two bowls in there, for cat food and water, though they didn't have any food for him yet. And needless to say, he wasn't too thrilled about getting his shot, which was supposed to be a once-a-day thing until his infections cleared up.

When Ichigo woke up that morning, it was just barely sunrise, only a few overcast streams of light shone into the room and…there was a black fur ball curled up in the crook of her neck. She reached up and felt Mistofelees, sleeping quite peacefully and content there, but when she looked up and froze, startled.

"Kish? What are doing in here?" She whispered.

Kish smiled sheepishly, "Couldn't sleep, I've only been in here for about fifteen minutes."

Ichigo stared at him, "Fifteen minutes…of just _staring_ at me?" Kish nodded.

"Like I said, I couldn't sleep," He said, "And…looking at you, all sleeping and cute and kitten-like, it's relaxing."

Ichigo blushed, "Still, this isn't my room, you can't just come in here whenever you want to."

Kish laid down, his face only mere inches away from Ichigo's face, and smirked, "Is that to say I can in your room?"

"No." Ichigo said flatly. She sighed, "How'd Mistoffelees get out anyway?"

Kish shrugged, "Don't know, he was out by the time I got in here, but you looked so cute together that I just couldn't move him."

Ichigo smiled down at the little kitten, but looked up when she felt Kish brush a lock of hair out of her face. He was smiling, but looked kind of…sad, or hurt maybe.

"Ichigo," He said, "you know, we haven't been on a date since Masaya arrived." Ichigo looked away, "I think we should go on one, since you're giving me a chance, and you…still are, right?"

Ichigo bit her lower lip and averted his gaze, "Ichigo," Kish said, "look at me." Slowly, she looked up at him. Before she could say anything, he moved in and kissed her, though it was a little weird since it was upside down. Ichigo was the one to pull away after a minute. "Ichigo," Kish mumbled, "don't…"

"Don't what?" Ichigo asked.

"Don't choose him over me," Kish said, "not again."

"Er…Kish, I-"

"Please." He interrupted. "There's nothing between you two anymore, I can see it, don't hang on to him."

"I…I don't know," Ichigo said.

"Please."

Ichigo stayed silent for a long while, thinking it over, of all that could happen with whichever choice she chose. She took in a breath, finally deciding, "Okay."

Kish smiled, "Is that a yes?"

Ichigo hesitated before smiling back, "Yes."

"That makes you mine, Kitty," Kish said.

"Kish, that's going a little fast isn't it?" Ichigo said.

"No." Kish said and kissed her again, longer this time, only breaking away because he knew she needed air. "You are my kitty now, and no one else's."

Ichigo stifled a giggle, "Maybe we should just get up now, I'm to awake to go back to sleep."

Kish grinned, "Me too, let's go for a walk!"

"At five in the morning?" Ichigo asked.

"Sure, why not?" Kish said.

Ichigo sighed and shook her head, "Alright, let me get dressed first."

Ichigo dressed in a pair of cut-off shorts and a faded pink t-shirt, putting Mistoffelees back in his crate that he had somehow managed to escape without opening the door or creating a hole somewhere, before she left the room, being careful and quiet not to wake the other two sleeping girls. When she saw Kish sitting on the bottom step of the stairs, he was wearing a hooded camouflage t-shirt and dark colored jeans that had rips over each knee.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yip." Ichigo answered.

They left quietly, deciding that going down the gulf would be the best place for a walk. As they began their walk, standing close to each other, Kish reached over and slid his hand into hers, entwining their fingers together. To his surprise, she gripped his hand back, and when he looked over at her, she was blushing slightly. He smirked a little; he always loved making her blush.

Suddenly, though, Ichigo stopped, letting out a small gasp. "Aoyoma-san?"

Kish looked up and saw him, Masaya, walking back towards the house from having gone on his own walk.

"Momomiya-san," Masaya said, looking surprised, and even more so that Kish was holding Ichigo's hand and she wasn't pulling away. "What are…?"

"We were just going on a walk," Ichigo answered, stepping closer to Kish so he wouldn't see them hand-in-hand.

"What are doing here?" Kish asked, trading Ichigo's hand from slipping his arm around her waist. Ichigo blushed a hotter pink.

"I couldn't sleep." Masaya answered

"Well, that makes three of us." Ichigo laughed nervously.

"Er, why does he have…his arm around you?" Masaya asked.

"Because she's mine," Kish answered.

"Kish…" Ichigo mumbled.

"You said it yourself," Kish said, tightening his hold on her.

"What?" Masaya asked. He felt an angry jealousy rising up in him from the very pit of his stomach, though it didn't feel the same as it used to it, it felt more…sickening, like he'd eaten something that didn't quite agree with him.

"You heard it," Kish said, "she's not yours anymore, she chose me!"

"No." Masaya said.

"Masaya, I'm sorry," Ichigo said, "I am but…we've already tried to find what was there before, but it gone now. Please, you have to understand."

"No." Masaya said again, louder this time.

Kish wrapped his other arm around Ichigo, not liking the blank look on Masaya's face. Something was up wit him. "Ichigo, stay with me." He whispered into her ear.

Ichigo was a little confused, did he think she was going to leave? She looked back to Masaya and saw him staring at the ground. "M-Masaya, are you okay?"

Masaya gasped, as if coming out of some sort of trance, "Huh?" He looked up at them. "Oh, uh…Momomiya-san, if you…if you truly are happy with him, then I…I wish you both well."

Ichigo smiled weakly, "Thank you."

Without another word, Masaya walked back to the house, passing them. Kish pulled Ichigo closer when he passed, pressing her against himself as close as he could without hurting her, causing her to blush as deep a red as anyone could blush. Once Masaya was gone, he spoke.

"Something isn't right with him." He said.

"Well yeah," Ichigo said, "He said he was still in love with me and he just let me go like…like it was no big deal."

"True, which he's an idiot for," Kish said, "not that I mind it, but I would have kept fighting for you, but that's not all that's wrong with him."

"What else could it be?" Ichigo asked, starting to relax in his arms.

"I don't know," Kish answered, "but something's going to happen soon." Ichigo looked at him, confused, before backing out of his arms and taking hold of one, continuing their morning walk.

"_What could be happening soon?_" Ichigo wondered as they walked, "_what's Kish talking about?_" She sighed, Kish was definitely an odd one, but did he really think he could predict the future? They walked all the way down to the horse stalls, though only one horse was awake and wandering around the pasture, it was a young, pure white one, the other two horses were asleep. They sat down in the grass for a break before they headed back.

"Hey, Ichigo?" Kish said, "You're not going to regret anything, are you?"

Ichigo was surprised by the sudden question, "Um…well, I think it's kind of impossible to go your whole life without a single regret, I mean, there are things your regret, right?"

"Well yeah," Kish said, "like I regret letting Masaya get to you before I did," Ichigo rolled her eyes, "but I meant you not going to regret anything that's happened here."

"Here? You mean like, letting Masaya go for you?" Ichigo said, Kish nodded, "Well, I honestly can't say, I'm not a future predictor, unlike you seem to you are."

Kish raised an eyebrow, "I think I'm a future predictor?"

"You did say that something big was going to happen soon." Ichigo reminded him.

"No, that's just a feeling I have," Kish said, "my race, sometimes we can just sense things that are going to happen, and depending on what or who it is we try to do something about it if we think there's something that _should_ be done."

"Is there anything that should be done about whatever's coming up?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know," Kish said, "But whatever it is, I know it's something I want to protect you from."

Ichigo looked up at him and saw him staring at the white horse. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what, and before she could say anything at all they heard the sound of the quad coming down the gulf, soon seeing driving down towards them, Kuri driving with Minto behind her. They parked near the horse stalls.

"Hey!" Kuri said, hopping off, "I was wondering where you two ran off too! Masaya came back looking kind of sick like; did you two happen to pass him?"

"We did," Ichigo answered, "he didn't look to good them either."

"Hm…" Kuri looked up thoughtfully.

"If you guys are starting your morning chores, I guess I should go help Mikuru." Ichigo said.

Kuri waved her hand, "Oh, no need really, Kuriimu's helping."

Kish smirked, "I'm not surprised."

Minto walked up to them, standing next to Kuri, "I can ride a horse, if you'd like to see."

Ichigo smiled, "Sure."

* * *

Me: And that was it. I know not all that much happened, but Kish and Ichigo are finally together, er, more together than they used to be at least. And what's up with Masaya? What's Kish sensing? Does anyone get where _Mr. Mistoffelees_ is from?! That's actually pretty much how my sister got her cat, he was a little brown barn cat that was all snuggles and fur.

Kish: Yes! Ichigo is mine!

Me: Yay! *claps* Okay, thanks for reading, please leave a review! They make me feel all warm inside^^


	22. Under The Sea

Me: This was supposed to be up last night, but the internet was going all haywire and stuff and...gah! Anyway, the plot for the ending shows up a bit in this chapter, hehe!

Thanks for Reading:  
**Mo12341234**

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi only owns her OC's.**

* * *

Kish fiddled with the ring on his finger; it was a simple, silver band with a special liquid inside that would temporarily turn his ears human for the day. Tart, Pai, Kuriimu, and Sherbet were each wearing one also. Why their race had come up with such a ring he wasn't to sure, but you could only use them once in a while or they could mess up you system, and they didn't last to long either, only about eighteen hours. Still, they were good and needed for where they were going.

"What's a beach?" Tart asked.

"It is a place on earth with lots of sand and water." Kuriimu answered, trying to sound smart.

"There's also an ice-cream stand on the boardwalk!" Mikuru said.

"I heard there are these things called seashells there." Sherbet said.

"On our planet, when we go swimming, we don't wear anything." Kish said. All humans in the room looked at him. "What? It's not like we swim _in front of _people."

"Okay," Ichigo said, "That's…better."

Tart snorted, "Humans are too modest about showing skin!"

Kish smirked, "If you so immodest, then how about you and Purin take a bath together when we get back?"

"What?!" Tart jumped back a foot and stared at him like he was crazy, which he probably was a little bit.

"Ow!" Kish yelped and rubbed his arm where someone had pinched him.

"That is not nice Kish-oniichan, na no da." Purin said.

"Well, I guess we should be going then, if we're going to go." Kuri said.

Everyone was dressed in a swimsuit. Ichigo had on a hot pink two-piece that had layered ruffles on the top and bottom, Minto was wearing a baby blue tankini that had green mint leafs all over it, Retasu in a green one-piece that had a dolphin over her left hip, Purin in an orange one-piece that had bananas all over it, Zakuro in a blackish purple bikini, Mikuru in a light gray one-piece that had a little white water skirt, Kuri in a desert camouflage two-piece, Cherry in a white tankini that's top ended just above her belly button and had cherries all over it, Cookie in a black one-piece that had gray ruffles around the edges of the bottom and arms, Pai was wearing black swim trunks and a dark purple t-shirt, Keiichiro in white swim trunks that had a brown stripe down the sides, Ryou in dark blue ones with light blue stripes, Tart in red swim trunks that had a shark on the right leg, Sherbet in yellow ones that had a tiger on it, Kish in forest camouflage swim trunks and a black t-shirt, and Kurumi was wearing water camouflage swim trunks with a white t-shirt.

"Um, is Aoyoma-san coming too?" Ichigo asked. She heard Kish sigh.

"He said he'd meet us there." Kurumi said, "Now let's go before it's too late."

---

Purin, Tart, Kuri, Kuriimu, and Mikuru were playing with the beach ball in the water, Pai was sitting on a towel under an umbrella, Cherry, Cookie, and Sherbet building a sand castle not to far away, Keiichiro, Kurumi, and Ryou were sitting at a table, talking, Minto and Zakuro were sunbathing, and Ichigo and Kish were standing at the sore line. Masaya had yet to show up.

"So…this is a public place?" Kish asked.

"Well yeah," Ichigo said, "I mean, why wouldn't it be?"

Kish dipped a toe into the water, swirling it around a bit. "Well…do the people swim, you know, together?"

"You mean in the same water?" Ichigo asked, Kish nodded, "Yeah, why wouldn't they?"

Kish shrugged, "I guess I'm just used to my planet." He eyed some teenagers splashing around with each other a few feet away. Were humans really used to so much contact with each other?

Ichigo took his arm and lead him into the water. "You'll fight in a war, attempt destroying a planet, and yet you're afraid to swim with other people."

Kish blushed very slightly. He knew it must have sounded so stupid to her, and it really was, why should he be afraid of being in water with other people around? He was covered. Mostly. He had taken off his shirt at Ichigo's request, because she said it made it harder to swim with it on, but he wondered if that was the only reason. And besides, he had plans of marrying Ichigo one day, so what was the harm in taking an early step?

Ichigo brought him out to the water until it was up to his waist, meaning it was about to her chest. "See?" She said, "This isn't so bad."

Kish smirked, staring into the water. "If you're a kitty, how come you're not afraid of the water?"

"Um…because, I may have a lot of traits from my cat genes, but since I've always loved to swim I guess it never affected that part of me."

"Hm." Kish just stood there, moving his hand around on the surface of the water.

"Kish?" Ichigo said. He looked at her through the corner of his eyes. She sighed and grabbed his arm again, this time diving under the water with him, which surprised him. He hadn't been expecting that.

They floated under the water, Ichigo clamping a hand over her mouth to stop the giggles at Kish's shocked expression and the little bubble that came out from between his lips and floated up. After a moment, what had just happened registered and he raised an eyebrow at the giggling cat girl floating next to him.

"What was that for?" He asked. Now it was Ichigo's turn to look shocked; he had just talk under water! As soon as her lips began to part Kish dart towards her, covering her mouth with his and swimming up to the surface, pulling away once they broke it.

"You can't breathe underwater, Kitten," He said, still holding her face in his hands.

Ichigo blinked, "Um…but…how did you…?"

Kish grinned, "Do I amaze you kitten?" He asked, slipping his arms around her thin waist. Ichigo blushed. She always seemed to blush when he held his arms around her or did anything intimate.

Kish just stood there with her in the water, holding her, he loved holding her. This time, though, was a bit different than the others for several reasons; they were swimming together, something only married people did on his planet, and they were both half naked, so he could feel the bare skin of her waist and back under his arms.

Back on the beach, Pai was watching everyone else swim from his seat on a towel. Well, almost everyone.

"You're not going to swim?" Cherry asked him.

"No." He answered bluntly.

"Why not?" Cherry asked.

"You're not." He stated.

Cherry turned back to the sandcastle she was building with Cookie and Sherbet. "That's because I have little ones to watch."

Pai went back to watching the others. Or, more specifically, the green mew. She was swimming around the water so gracefully, yet he could have sworn that she'd said she couldn't swim when he was watching the videos of Kish's solo attacks on the mew girls. That was when they'd first gotten Retasu.

She glanced over at him, as she'd been doing on occasion, only to blush at noticing that he was still watching her. Retasu bit down on her lower lip to hide a smile and tried to force down a blush as she dove back into the water. Though when she'd first met the mews she hadn't known how to swim, but after a few lessons in Minto's backyard pool, she'd learnt how pretty quickly, her porpoise DNA come in handy for water activities it seemed as she'd been one of the most ungraceful people in the water until she had gotten it. Now, however, she could glide through the water as gracefully as a mermaid.

She swam, kicking her legs, her hair that was out of its usual braids swaying in the current flowing around her. She went down towards the bottom of the ocean, which wasn't that far since she was still pretty close to the shore, and felt the sea grass tickling her stomach. Swimming back up, she broke the surface of the water with a gasp for air, tossing her head back and sending little droplets of water everywhere. She glanced at Pai again who was still watching. Retasu sighed and shook her head, beginning to tread through the water towards the sand. She walked over to him in his beach towel, still soaking wet.

"Come on, Pai-san, let's swim." She said, leaning down with one on her knee for support and holding the other hand out to him, smiling sweetly.

He looked up at her. On his planet it wasn't proper for unwedded people to swim together, but since it was different on earth…did that make it okay for him? But there was one other thing; he'd never swam before.

"Mm…no thank you." He said.

Retasu looked a bit disappointed, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." He answered bluntly.

Retasu smiled again, "Okay, but it would be more fun with you."

He stared at her, surprised by this statement. No one had ever said anything would be more fun _with_ him, always without him. He kept staring as she turned and walked back to the water, but when she was halfway there he stood and quickly walked to her calling, "Wait! I would like to swim!"

"Really?" Retasu asked, looking up at him with shining eyes.

"Yes." He said, trying to avoid her gaze. How was he going to pull this off without her knowing that he couldn't swim?

Retasu led him to the water and in until it reach her waist. "See? It's not so bad!" Pai nodded, though it was a little hesitant.

"Pai-san?" Retasu said, "Are you okay?" He merely looked at her through the corner of his eyes. "Pai-san?"

"It's nothing." He said. He kept watching from the corner of his eyes as she ducked down into the water and swam out a few feet, only coming to come back up and look back at him.

"You said you wanted to swim," She said, "so aren't you going to?"

Pai didn't answer; instead he just kept staring at the water. It was clear, tinted the slightest beautiful blue, truly clean unlike the water in the city, which was always a deep, dark aquatic green-blue.

Suddenly, another body knocked into his and sent him crashing into the water, "Pai-san!" was all he heard before he was submerged under the water. After a moment, he blinked his eyes open. He was just floating in the water, though he knew he could stand but the surprise and shock of suddenly being knocked over like that had near completely shut off any common sense he had. He could see Retasu's feet and legs.

"Kuriimu!" Retasu squeaked, "Why'd you do that?"

"Oops…" Kuriimu said, "It was an accident!" He had been playing with the beach ball with Tart and Purin and the little monkey girl had hit it so hard it slammed into his chest and made him fall backwards.

"Um, you know he doesn't know how to swim, right?" Kuriimu asked. He knew Pai would be just fine; his race didn't air. But still, it would be funny to see the fish mew get all up in a frenzy.

Retasu's eyes widened and she took in a deep breath, diving under the water to "rescue" Pai. He was, however, just floating under the water, staring up at the surface and finding it oddly peaceful, the way the sunlight shimmered and danced off the water like crystals. It was so pretty.

Then Retasu appeared above him, her green hair maneuvering around her face in a way that could never be done in the wind. She looked so…angelic, with the shimmering water behind her and her eyes looking down at him with concern. At that very moment Pai noticed something he hadn't seen before; she was beautiful.

She moved closer and without really thinking, he reached up and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer. Her eyes widened in alarm, not knowing what he was doing, but made no attempt to pull away. Once she was so close that she had to raise a hand to his chest or they would have been pressed together, she blushed a bright red.

"_P-Pai-san?_" Retasu thought to herself, "_What are you…?_"

He stared into her green eyes, just holding her there. Sure, she could hold her breath for a pretty long time, but everything had its limits, and she was starting to wonder how much longer she could keep it up. Still, her blush deepened as their faces were mere inches apart and their noses were almost touching. What was he planning to do?

She gasped, which seemed to not make any difference with her air, as he pulled her closer still and pressed his lips to hers. She clamped her eyes shut at the contact, though after a moment she relaxed and gingerly returned the kiss. Pai pulled away first, a surprised look on his face at what he'd just done.

"Pai-san…" Retasu said quietly, and then realized something, "I can breathe under water!"

"_I just kissed her,_" Pai thought, "_and _that's_ what she has to say?_"

She pushed away a bit, "B-but I've only be able to-"

Kish crashed into the water near them, "We could use some help, you know!" He shouted under the water, air bubbles floating up from his mouth. He swam back up to the surface and flew into the air. Pai and Retasu made their way up also and stood in the water, staring at the five Chimera Animas on the beach. All the mews had already transformed and were fighting.

Retasu made a dash for the table Ryou, Kurumi, and Keiichiro were now standing around, snatching her pendant from the towel bag, and transformed.

"MEW MEW LETTUCE! METAMORPHOSIS!"

With a green glow, Retasu was in mew form, "LETTUCE CASTANETS!" She summoned her weapon and aimed for the giant, pink starfish.

"RIBBON…LETTUCE RUSH!"

"Kuu Rei Sen!"

The combination of water and sparks electrocuted the anima, paralyzing long enough for Zakuro to wrap her whip around it and for Minto and Ichigo to shoot the final blows at it. Now there were four Chimera Animas left.

"Aaaah!" Purin screamed as a squid looking Anima wrapped a tentacle around her and raised her into the air, preparing to toss her into the sea. It pulled it's tentacle back swung, throwing her, but a flash of red sped by, catching her bridal style, and flew down to the ground with her.

"Tar-Tar!" Purin gasped. He smirked down at her.

"Bet ya' didn't think I could carry you, huh?" He ginned smugly.

"Tar-Tar!" Purin squealed, hugging him around his neck just as he jumped off the ground to dodge and a spike coming from a Chimera Anima that looked much like a mutated porcupine.

"Go!" He exclaimed, tossing her through the air just as Minto was flying up in front of them.

"RIBBON…PUDDING RING INFERNO!" Purin shot off her attack, somersaulting through the air and landing in a piggy back on Minto.

"Ah!" She yelped at the sudden child clinging to her. Her arrow hit the sand a few feet from where she had aimed. "Purin! You stupid little monkey; you threw off my aim!"

"Sorry, na no da~!" Purin giggled.

"Eek!" Kuri dodged the tongue that lashed out of the giant bullfrog's mouth. "You stupid- ah!" She threw her horseshoe like weapon it, hitting right in the left eye. It let out a loud roar and jumped into the air, crashing back down to earth and causing the ground the shake.

"RIBBON…STAWBERRY CHECK!" A pink blast shot off from Ichigo's Strawberry Bell, hitting the Anima, but it still wasn't destroyed and there were still three others they had to take care of.

"How are we supposed to beat these things?!" Minto exclaimed.

---

Masaya was watching the fight from the between the guys' and girls' restroom buildings. He wanted to help but…why couldn't he transform into the Blue Knight? The only reason he'd been able the last time was because Kurumi sent him in, but now it…different. Like Ichigo had someone else to protect her.

"_Kish!_" He thought, jealousy bubbling up. He clutched his stomach, a sickening feeling suddenly making his stomach churn and he sank to his knees, panting. What was happening to him? He couldn't turn into the Blue Knight; he was starting to feel weaker, slower, and sick in a kind of weird sort of way. It was Kish's fault. It had to be, it hadn't started until he stole Ichigo from him.

"Kisshu," Masaya growled between clenched teeth, "This is…your fault."

---

Kish charged at the Anima with his dragon swords, Kuriimu lagging behind only a little right next to him with his own dagger and they both jabbed into each of the bullfrog Chimera's eyes. It was destroyed.

Both aliens and mews fought the Chimera Animas, but the last one they were having the most difficulty with, which was bad as they had been having enough trouble with the last ones. The Anima they were up against now looked like a cat, it was black and at least seven feet tall with a tiger striped main and glowing red eyes, it claws jutting out from under it's large paws like knives.

"RIBBON…" Kish looked over at Ichigo, hearing her prepare her attack, but this time, she was glowing a soft pink, "STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!"

A bigger, stronger blast then what she usually used. It was her special attack and with just one shot of it, the last Chimera Anima was destroyed. Masha ate up all the parasite Animas.

"You did it!" Mikuru squeaked, punching the air with a small jump.

Kish landed on the ground next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling her cheek with his nose, "That's because Kitten's amazing."

Masaya ran up to them, looking and feeling out of breath, "Everyone!" He panted, "Sorry I'm late."

"Yeah, slowpoke," Kish teased, "You missed the whole thing!"

"Masaya, are you okay?" Ichigo asked, "You don't look to good."

Masaya took in a deep breath and said, "I'm fine." He smiled at her, though it looked a little strained. He wasn't entirely fine, and he didn't like lying, but he didn't want Ichigo to worry and he knew she would. Of course, he didn't exactly know what was wrong with himself either, so there was also that little problem.

"Alright." Ichigo said, "If you say so." Ryou stared at him a little coldly, guessing something more was up than just him being late.

"Can we go back in the water, na no da?" Purin asked.

"Eh, Purin, we just finished fighting Chimera Animas," Kuri said, she stretched her arms out, "I think maybe lunch would be better."

"Can we change first?" Mikuru asked. "I'd rather not walk around on the boardwalk in my swimsuit."

"Of course." Cherry said.

Once changing, though most of them just put clothes on over their swimwear, they walked to the boardwalk that was just off the parking lot and to a small, 80's style diner. There were leather seated booths lined against the walls under the large windows and a jukebox in the corner by the door.

Kish grabbed Ichigo's hand, "Hey Kitten, lets go see what's on that jutebox thing!"

"You mean the jukebox?" Ichigo asked, Kish nodded, she sighed, "Alright."

Kish grinned, "We'll be back!" He raced over to the jukebox with Ichigo.

Retasu put a hand on her cheek and smiled, "My, those to seem to be getting along well recently."

"That's because they're dating!" Mikuru blurted out.

"Mikuru!" Kuri scolded. The lamb mew clamped both hands over her mouth, her eyes wide.

"Oops…" She said.

Minto's mouth hung open slightly, "They're _dating_?!"

"Are you didn't tell us?" Ryou asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Gossip is bad," Kuri said, her arms crossed over her chest, "She didn't want anyone to know until she was sure about him."

"No wonder he's been hanging around her without getting slapped." Tart said.

"I think its sweet, na no da!" Purin said.

Retasu just sat there, blushing. It reminded her that Pai had kissed back on the beach, she had forgotten about it with the sudden battle, and now she dared not even look at him.

"I don't see any problem with it," Zakuro said, "He's not the enemy anymore. But…so long as he treats her right."

"She hadn't told you?" Masaya asked. Everyone looked at him.

"No," Ryou said, "You knew?"

"Well…yeah," Masaya said, "Cherry told me." Now everyone looked to Cherry, who was staring at her hands folded neatly in her lap.

She laughed nervously, "I where's our ice-cream, I wonder…"

"You three knew and neither of you told us?" Minto asked, slightly angered at this.

"Well-" Kuri began, but was cut off.

"Didn't tell you what?" Ichigo asked, now standing at the table with Kish, who had apparently chosen _Who Knows What Love Is_ by _Strawberry Switchblade_ to play throughout the diner.

"That you and Kish are dating!" Ryou said.

"Who gives a crap?!" Kuri exclaimed, tossing her hands up, "Big friggin' whoop! They're dating! _Oh my God_!" Purin, Tart, and Sherbet giggled at that.

Ichigo turned red, but Kish just stood there like he didn't care that they knew. "And?" He said, "Yes, me and Koneko-chan are finally dating, thank you for noticing, and if you have a problem with then you can take it up with me and my Dragon Swords."

Cherry began bouncing Cookie on her knee, not liking the sudden tension between everyone.

The waitress came up, "Alright, who got what?" Everyone looked at her, not answering for a moment. She shifted her weight to her other foot, clearly feeling the tension. "Um…"

Minto cleared her throat, "I got the mint chocolate chip, thank you."

"Right," The waitress said, setting the right bowl down for her. Everyone got their own, and sat there in silence.

"We didn't notice," Ryou said suddenly, "Mikuru spit it out by accident." Said girl blushed and attempted shrinking herself. It wasn't working too much, seeing as she was so small already. Kuriimu put a hand on her back and moved it around in circular motions, attempting to comfort her.

Ichigo sighed, "Its fine, you guys were going to have to find out sooner or later."

Retasu fidgeted in her seat, "I need some fresh air." She said and slid out of the booth, Pai following wordlessly as she got up and walked out the door with her ice-cream cone.

They walked along the bored walk together, each licking their ice-cream peacefully and silently. Retasu was still getting flustered.

"I…!" She trailed off.

"What?" Pai asked.

"Nothing." She said. There was an awkward silence for a while.

"Do you…" This time Pai trailed off.

"Hm?" Retasu asked.

"Never mind." Pai said. He sighed, "_One of us has to say something sooner or later…_" He thought to himself with a mental sigh, "_I guess it aught to be me; she gets so flustered so easily._"

"Retasu-san," He said, tying to swallow down the lump growing in his throat.

"Hai!" Retasu said.

"…" Well, he tried, but he wasn't too sure of what to say, "You remember that I kissed you, right?" He said, his voice still steady and calm, proving his emotional control.

"Um…y-yes, of course." Retasu said, beginning to blush a scarlet red.

"Well, I-"

"Gomenesi!" She cut him off, bowing in apology.

"For what?" Pai asked, hiding the bewilderment he felt.

"I don't know, but I'm sorry!" Retasu said. "It's okay if you regret kissing me!"

Pai glanced around, noticing all the people that were staring, "What-? Retasu-san, no, I don't regret it."

"You…don't?" Retasu asked, standing up strait.

"No, of course not," Pai said, "What I was going to say was…you didn't mind it, did you?"

"Um…no." Retasu said, blushing still, "I…I didn't mind it at all."

Pai gave a small smile, "Good."

* * *

Me: I hope you liked it! And Mikuru's kitten, Mr. Mistoffelees, his name comes from the Broadway play, _Cats the Musical_, incase anyone was wondering.

Kish: Read and Review please!


	23. It's Not You, It's You

Me: ^^ Here you go! This one if kind of fluffy! Well...I think it is, though not all of it. Sorry if Kish is a little OOC in this......I can hear the neigbor's dog howling...

Thanks for Reading:  
**Rizu Neko-Chan **-thanks! I'm trying to make them longer.-  
**Mo12341234**

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi only owns her OC's, nothing else.**

* * *

The sun was setting and they were still at the beach, each of them wandering around the boardwalk without whomever they chose. Kish went with Ichigo, Cherry and Kuri were walking Cookie around, Ryou was talking with Keiichiro, Minto was with Zakuro, Pai was still with Retasu, and Tart with Purin, Sherbet following them. Kurumi and Masaya were the only two that decided to walk alone.

Kish kept his arm around Ichigo's waist and glared at any guy that even glanced at her. Over her swimsuit she was wearing a thin, white, noodle-strap tank top and a pair a cutoff shorts that rather, well, short, with pink flip-flops.

"_Why must these human males keep looking at her?_" Kish thought to himself. He knew she was pretty, beautiful in his eyes, and had nice body from being a mew mew but still, that didn't mean they could look at her! She was _his_, and no one else's, wasn't him holding her enough proof?

"Oh!" She squeaked when he suddenly pulled her off to the side near a small bakery stand and a jewelry stand. "Kish, what-"

"Guys keep looking at you." He said. He was standing in front of her, his hands on her hips, as she looked up at him.

"Kish," She said, blushing lightly. She hadn't noticed any of it. "Guys are…guys, they're going to look at girls and you can't really do anything about it."

"But you're mine," Kish stated, "I put my arm around your waist, so they should know this." He glanced at an elderly couple behind the bakery stand that giggled at him.

Ichigo sighed and, getting on her tip toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, "Kish, I don't know how it is on your planet," She whispered, "But it's different here, guys are going to look even if they know a girl has a boyfriend."

Kish kissed her, having to fight down a smirk when he heard the elderly couple gasp, and slowly Ichigo kissed back, trying to keep herself calm enough that her cat ears and tail didn't pop out.

Kish was the one to pull away, though their noses were still touching, "I love you." He said, smiling as he stared into her pink eyes.

Ichigo blushed and buried her face in his chest, hoping it was a good enough substitute for having to answer. She still didn't know if she loved him back. Kish kissed the top of her head, though he still couldn't wait until the day she finally she loved him too, he just hoped it wasn't too far away.

The woman of the elderly couple sighed, "Young love." Her husband smiled and put an arm around her shoulders.

* * *

Retasu and Pai were back on the beach, sitting in the sand as they watched the sunset together. Something quite romantic but them being them, there was an awkward silence. Retasu played with the fabric her knee-length green skirt, Pai was next to her, staring intently at the sun.

"Um, y-you know, Pai-san," Retasu said, "It's bad for you're, um, eyes to look at the sun…"

Pai blinked and then looked at her, "Oh, I did not know that. Thank you."

"N-no problem." Retasu said.

They simply sat there for a long while in silence, wondering what was going through the other's mind at the moment, and if it was about them.

Pai sighed, deciding once again to be the first to speak up, "Retasu-san,"

"Yes?" Retasu asked.

He paused for a moment, gathering up what exactly he was going to say, "I…rather like you…a lot, I think."

Retasu blushed, "U-um, I-I-I…!"

"I'm sorry," Pai said, "if you don't feel the same then-"

"No, no!" Retasu said, "I, um, I l-like you…too."

"That is good." Pai said. He felt relieved, really, if she had said she felt differently then…well, for one thing he'd be a little embarrassed, something very, _very_rarely ever happened to him, and he would be kind of saddened by it too. Shyly, Retasu rested her head on his shoulder, content to stay there for as long as she could. It always seemed that the one you liked or loved the most made a good pillow.

* * *

Purin stopped in front of the large window of a gift shop named _Animal Circus_, staring in an earring rack that had a pair that she rather liked. On each were two thin, silver chains with a small monkey face on the longer one and bananas on the shorter one, and they came with a pair of banana earrings and monkey face earrings.

"Purin?" Tart said, stopping a few steps ahead with Sherbet.

"Huh?" She looked at him.

"Did you want to get those?" Sherbet asked.

Purin shook her head, "No, it's okay! Purin can't afford stuff like that, na no da!"

"Why not?" Tart asked.

"Because, na no da," Purin said, "Purin has to save up her money to buy food for her siblings, na no da!"

"All of it?" Sherbet asked. Purin nodded.

Tart stuck his hand in his pocket. Pai had given him some of that green stuff humans called money, he wasn't to sure how he got it, but he did, and he was supposed to be studying it. But who cared about that?

"Come on." He said, grabbing Purin's hand as he walked past her and into the small store.

"Tar-Tar?" Purin said, letting him tow her along. Sherbet followed behind.

Tart took the earrings off the display and walked up to the counter, "I'd like these, please."

"Tar-Tar, don't!" Purin said, "Purin doesn't need the earrings, na no da!"

"Are sure about this?" The salesclerk asked.

Tart turned to Purin, "I'm getting you the earrings."

"But-" He turned back to the clerk before she could protest and handed him eighteen yen for the earrings.

"Thanks." He said, taking the small paper bag they'd been put in and handed it to Purin. "Here."

"Tar-Tar…" Purin said.

Tart sighed, "I got them for you because I wanted to, okay? Now take the earrings."

After a moment, Purin smiled and took the bag, "Thank you, Tar-Tar!" She squealed, trapping the boy in a bear hug.

"Eh…yeah, yeah, get off me." Tart said, even though he was hugging her back.

* * *

Kurumi was walking down the boardwalk quietly and peacefully, until he spotted Masaya crouched down next to an arcade machine, his arms wrapped around his stomach as though he were in pain. Kurumi sighed, shaking his head, and walked over to him, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and lifting him to his feet effortlessly.

"You okay?" He asked.

Masaya looked at him, "Fine…I think, what do you care anyway? I thought you didn't like me."

"I don't," Kurumi said, "But that doesn't mean I don't care. So what's up?" He let go of his shirt.

Masaya sighed, "I don't know, really, I just get this sick feeling in my stomach every once in a while, it's weird."

"You also haven't been able to transform into the Blue Knight." Kurumi said.

"Yeah, I know," Masaya said, "And I'm fairly certain that's the fault of Kish."

"The Blue Knight was born to protect Ichigo, right?" Kurumi asked.

"Yeah, so?" Masaya said.

"Then it's not Kish's fault," Kurumi said, "It's something about you and you alone, if the Blue Knight really was born to protect Ichigo then it wouldn't matter if she had someone else, you'd still protect her no matter what happened."

"But he took her from me." Masaya growled.

"Did you not from him?" Kurumi asked.

"He never had to begin with!" Masaya said, "And if that's what this is about, then it's all for payback!"

Kurumi smacked him on the back of the head, "No, you dolt, he really does care for her, you can tell just by the he looks at her. Whatever's going on is about _you_, the sick feeling, not being able to transform, it's you. That's the only explanation."

"Why does it have to be my fault?" Masaya asked a little loudly.

"Keep in down," Kurumi warned, "and I never said it was your fault, I just said that whatever's happening to you is because of you."

"That's the same thing!" Masaya said.

"No, it's not." Kurumi said, "You'll understand eventually." Without another word, Kurumi walked away.

* * *

Mikuru and Kuriimu walked along the boardwalk, only passing small talk every once in a while. Kuriimu looked over at her, he could see the drops of water that still clung to her hair and pretty much sparkled in the evening sunset. Since the discovery of Kish and Ichigo's dating had come and passed, he decided it was finally time he asked Mikuru out. But 'how' was his big question. What if she said no?

"Mikuru," he said. She looked at him. "Um…would you- I mean, do you- uh…let's go find Kish and Ichigo!" He grabbed her hand hurried off.

Mikuru stared at him curiously, following, though a little bit behind, and not trying to take her hand out of his, though it did make her blush. She might have to soon though; he was starting to squeeze pretty hard. She bit her lower lip, trying to ignore that she'd probably have a light bruise on her hand.

They found them walking hand-in-hand back towards the beach, where everyone was supposed to meet up. "Kish!" Kuriimu exclaimed to get his attention. He saw Kish look over at him, say something to Ichigo, and lead her over.

"Hey, guys!" Ichigo said.

"What's up?" Kish asked.

"Can I talk to you…privately?" Kuriimu asked him.

Kish raised an eyebrow, "Uh, okay."

"Great!" Kuriimu said, grabbing his older brother's arm and leading him away.

"Did I do something wrong?" They heard Mikuru ask Ichigo.

"Kuriimu, what are you up to?" Kish asked.

Kuriimu took in a deep breath before speaking, his words coming out in a rush, "How do you ask a girl out?"

Kish blinked, then started laughing, "_That's _all you wanted to know?"

"Don't laugh!" Kuriimu whined, "I've never done this before!"

Kish nodded and stifled his laughing, "Right, this is your first girlfriend isn't it?"

Kuriimu blushed slightly, "Maybe." He mumbled.

"Just ask her." Kish said.

"How?" Kuriimu asked, "I mean, what if she says no?"

Kish shrugged, "Keep trying. Ichigo didn't exactly accept me with open arms the first time I asked her out."

"That's because your version of taking her on a date was trying to kill her." Kuriimu said.

"Hey!" Kish said, offended by that, "I never tried to kill her, I just…I was under orders!"

"Yeah, well, Mikuru isn't like Ichigo." Kuriimu said, "She's shyer, and gets flustered pretty easily."

"Kind of like Retasu," Kish said. Kuriimu nodded.

"Yeah, but she's…different." He said.

"How?" Kish asked.

"I don't know, she just is." Kuriimu said.

Kish grinned and threw his arm around his shoulders, "My baby brother's fallen in love! Who knew the day would come!"

"Hey!" Kuriimu said, "What's that supposed to mean?! I'm only twelve!" He poked Kish in the ribs, "I've still got plenty of time, unlike you!"

"I'm only two years older than you." Kish reminded him.

"Yes, but didn't Mom say something about you getting married early?" Kuriimu said with a sly smirk, "Something about kids and all that to help the people."

Kish groaned and dropped his arm from Kuriimu's shoulders, "Don't remind me!"

"And Uncle Jiro said he might marry you off if you didn't find someone by the time you were sixteen." Kuriimu continued on.

"Shut it before I have to hurt you." Kish threatened. "Besides, that won't be problem, I have Kitten now, remember?"

"Sure, but what if it doesn't stick?" Kuriimu asked, "I mean, people do breakup you know. Ichigo broke up with Masaya."

"I won't let her go, not again." Kish said.

"Kish, you can't force her to stay with you." Kuriimu said.

"Who the hell said she wanted to leave?" Kish asked, starting to get mad. He wasn't liking where this going. "Go back to your little lamb, she's probably still wondering what she did wrong."

Just before Kish walked away towards Ichigo, Kuriimu said, "Kish, you should at least tell her." But he pretended he didn't hear and continued on his way. After a few moments, Kuriimu followed him.

* * *

That night, once everyone had gotten home, Masaya driven back to his hotel, and the aliens had all taken off their rings and had their normal ears back, Kish and Ichigo decided to lie out in the front lawn and gaze at the stars. Kish had his arms wrapped around her and her head was resting on his chest, tucked up under his chin.

"Hey, Kish?" Ichigo said, "What did Kuriimu want to talk to you about?"

"I was nothing," Kish answered, "He just wanted to know how he should go about asking Mikuru out."

"Aw," Ichigo said, "And he went to you for some brotherly advice, huh?" She found that kind of sweet.

"Yeah, but I don't think I helped him to much." Kish said.

"Why not?" Ichigo asked.

Kish stayed silent for a bit, wondering if he really should tell her that his mom wanted him to get married early. Really early. And that he wanted her to be his bride. "Ichigo," He said, "there's something…that you should probably know."

Ichigo rolled over onto her stomach but stayed on his chest, "What is it?" She asked, gazing into his golden eyes.

Again Kish fell silent, staring back into her sugar pink eyes. "Um…it's my mom, she uh…she wants me to get married."

"Well, yeah, I think all parents want their kids to get married." Ichigo said. "Well, maybe not dad's with their daughters, but still." She giggled, thinking of her own father. Kish smiled too, a nervous feeling rising up when he imagined having to meet her father.

"That's not all of it though," Kish said, "she…she wants me to get married soon. Really. Soon."

Ichigo looked confused and a small twinge of fear shot through her, "Kish, what are getting at?"

"I-…er, Ichigo," Kish stuttered. Damn it, hated doing that, especially in front of Ichigo.

Ichigo's eyes widened. Oh dear God, he was going to purpose! She was thirteen! She was far too young to have a fiancé, let alone get married!

"Kish," Ichigo said slowly, "You're fourteen, I'm thirteen, we're too young to-"

"No, I know!" Kish said, interrupting, "I just…Kuriimu said I should at least tell you about it, and he was right, so…I told you, and I want you to know that if I had to marry anyone, you're the only one I would ever want."

Ichigo blushed and stayed silent, not knowing how to respond to this. He had basically just proposed to her. In a weird sort of not-really-proposing-but-still-proposing kind of way.

"Kish," She said quietly, but before she could say anything else, Kish wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her on top of himself, kissing her.

"I love you." He said into the kiss. Ichigo's cheeks turned red and her heart began to race, it always seemed to when he said things like that or kissed her. Finally, her cat ears and tail popped out. Kish inwardly grinned to himself, he loved being able to make her cat features come out. He reached up and scratched one of her ears.

Ichigo pulled away from the kiss, though unable to resist purring, and tucking her head under his chin again, "I think we're a bit too young to say that, too."

"Psh, you're never too young to fall in love." Kish said. Though, he did note that she still didn't say it back, and wondered if that was her only reason.

Ichigo giggled and looked up at him. Her eyes traveled to his long, pointy ears and she reached up, gingerly tracing a finger over one, "I think I like you with your normal ears better than with human ears."

Kish's whole face lit up, "Really? You like my ears?" He had always wondered if she thought they were weird or if she liked them.

Ichigo giggled again, "Yes."

"Yay!" Kish said, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck, tickling her and making her laugh.

"Kish! That tickles!" She giggled.

"Wait," Kish said, stopping, "Didn't you used to say you were 'in love' with Masaya?"

Ichigo sighed and laid her head back on his chest again, "Yeah, but…"

"But what?" Kish asked.

"…I don't know." Ichigo said. Kish kissed the top of her head, taking in her strawberry scent and just enjoying being there with her.

* * *

Kish awoke with a start when he felt cold, _very cold_, water being poured on his face. "Bah! What the-?" This only made him tighten his arms further around the body lying on top of his. He stopped short when he saw Kurumi standing over him with a glass of ice water. "What?!" Kish snapped.

"If Grandpa finds you two out here like this you're dead." Kurumi said, "So you might want to get up and pretend you were out for a walk or something."

Kish looked down at Ichigo's sleeping face, so peaceful and content and happy lying against his chest, a small smile playing on her soft, pink lips. "But…she's so _cute_ when she sleeps! Do I really have to wake her?"

Kurumi sighed, "Then find some way to get her in her sleeping bag on Mikuru and Kuri's floor without waking her, I have to go pick up City Boy."

Kish watched as he walked away before looking back down at Ichigo. "_Kurumi didn't say _how_ I had to get her in Kuri's room, just that I did…_" He smirked evilly and teleported, reappearing on Ichigo's sleeping bag on the girls' bedroom floor.

"Oh, you are _so_lucky I was done changing!" He looked up and saw Kuri standing next to the hamper by her dresser.

"Good morning to you, too." He said sarcastically. Kuri rolled her eyes and continued brushing her hair.

"What are doing in here anyway?" Kuri asked.

Kish closed his eyes, hoping to make his time with Ichigo sleeping on him last just a little longer, "Kurumi found us on the lawn and told me your grandfather would kill me if he saw us."

"Not surprised," Kuri said, "Kurumi can seem kind of distant sometimes, like he doesn't really care, but he actually does. As for Grandpa, he just tends to be protective of me, Mikuru, Cherry, and Cookie, especially from boys, and same with any girls staying with us. Why didn't you just wake her up and take her in?"

"I couldn't," Kish said, "She looked to cute to disturb, so I just came in here with her."

Kuri smiled and put her brush down, "You really do love her, don't you?"

"Yeah…" Kish said, smiling and running a hand gently through Ichigo's pink hair.

"And this is the third time you guys have slept together, isn't it?" Kuri asked. Kish grinned, trying not to laugh should it wake Ichigo up.

"You perverted little alien." Kuri said and left the room.

* * *

Masaya stepped up into the big, red pickup truck almost as soon as Kurumi pulled into the hotel parking lot.

"Good morning," He said, "sleep well last night?" Kurumi merely shrugged in response. That was really the only answer Masaya ever got from him, it made him wonder why he tried to make small talk with the man.

"So," He tried again, "anything happen while I was away?"

"You mean for the few hours you gone and couldn't glare at Kish every time you saw him?" Kurumi asked, looking in both directions before turning out onto the road.

"I haven't been-!"

"Yes, you have." Kurumi cut him off. Masaya leaned back in his chair with a huff. "You know, I heard Ichigo talking about how sweet and nice you were, but I'm not seeing it."

"I just lost my girlfriend to an alien that used to try to kill her!" Masaya exclaimed.

"And?" Kurumi said, "Big deal, I mean, yeah, he is dating her now, but technically you two had already broken up, it was a fare trade."

"We weren't _trading_anything." Masaya grumbled.

"You know what I mean." Kurumi said. There was silence for a while after that, but Kurumi was the one to break it. "Anything new with the Blue Knight?"

Masaya shrugged, "I had a hard time getting to sleep last night, I felt like I was going to throw my insides up, but nothing ever happened, so I just laid there."

"First time or has this been happening?" Kurumi asked.

"It's been happening, but it gets worse every night." Masaya said.

"Tell Ryou." Kurumi said.

"What?" Masaya asked.

"Tell Ryou," Kurumi repeated, "Or, if you don't, I will."

"Wait, you can't just-"

"I can, and I will." Kurumi said, cutting him off again.

"And what will you tell him exactly?" Masaya asked.

"That you're not good," Kurumi said, "That you need help, and that something is wrong with you, something wrong with the Blue Knight."

"Nothing is wrong with- ah!" Masaya doubled over a sharp pain shot through his stomach.

Kurumi kept his eyes on the road but raised an eyebrow, "You were saying?"

"Just shut up and drive." Masaya said. The rest of the ride was silent.

* * *

Instead of arriving at the farm, like Masaya had expected, Kurumi took a different turn, heading into Sherly, and parked in front of Café Mew Mew.

"What…?" Masaya looked at him, confused.

"Out." Kurumi said.

Masaya, now a little scared for his life, scrambled out of the car. It seemed that this early in the morning Sherly was a ghost town. There wasn't anyone else to be seen and all the stores and places were locked up.

"Where is everyone?" Masaya asked.

Kurumi didn't answer, instead he walked up to the café doors and opened them, walking in and Masaya followed.

"Is anyone even here?" He asked.

"Yes." Kurumi said. "Oi! Shirogane!"

There was no response for a while, but then Ryou walked up from the wine-cellar-turned-lab. "What are you two doing here?"

"You need to run a test or something on City Boy," Kurumi said. "He's been having…problems."

"I'm not a doctor," Ryou said,

"Something's up with the Blue Knight." Kurumi said.

"I'm fine." Masaya insisted.

"What's going on?" Ryou asked. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"City Boy has been having-"

"Would you quite calling me that?!" Masaya exclaimed. Ryou looked at him, surprised by the sudden yelling.

"See?" Kurumi said, "He's not acting right."

Ryou sighed and nodded, "Right, come down to the lab then, I'll see if something's wrong."

"I'm perfectly fine!" Masaya said, "There's nothing- er…" He stepped forward to keep his balance as a sudden dizzy spell came over him.

"No, come to the basement." Ryou said, "I think Kurumi is right."

"Ugh…fine." Masaya said and followed Ryou down, who gave a thankful glance to Kurumi.

* * *

Ichigo woke up and looked up to see Kish, now asleep underneath her. She also noticed that they were in Kuri and Mikuru's room, though both girls were gone. She smiled and gently traced a finger along his ear. She liked doing that it seemed; his ears were so big it was cute. Kind of like Link, from the Zelda games. She wiggled herself up a further on him and brushed her lips against his. It was a little weird, she'd never done anything like this even with Masaya, but at least with Kish she knew he wouldn't mind.

"Wake up, sleepy head." She whispered. Kish mumbled something unintelligible and licked his lips, also getting hers, and she saw his eyebrows rise.

"I don't remember eating anything strawberry flavored." He mumbled.

Ichigo giggled, "That's because you didn't."

Kish smirked and peeked one eye open, "I see. So, it seems that every time we sleep together things just keep getting more and more intimate." Ichigo blushed a deep red and glared at him, though she was smiling. Oh, she would have so hit him right then, but it would kind of ruined things. No matter, she got up anyways.

"Hey!" Kish protested and pulled her back down onto him.

"Kish, it's-" Ichigo looked at the clock on Kuri's bedside table, "Nine in the morning, we have to get up now."

Kish pouted, "But I want to stay here with you!"

Ichigo laughed lightly, "I do too, but really we have to get up." She sat up again, and this time Kish didn't stop her. Instead her sat up himself and curled a finger around her chin to make her look at him.

"You really want to stay with me?" He asked.

Ichigo blushed again, "Uh…y-yeah, I guess."

Kish smiled and kissed her, "Good." He said after pulling away.

"Breakfast!" They heard Cherry call through the house.

"Alright, out with you, I need to change." Ichigo said.

"I can't stay?" Kish whined.

"No!" Ichigo said.

"Alright, I'll leave." Kish said, though sounding reluctant, and stood, leaving the room. Ichigo smiled to herself before getting up and changing into a pair of short overalls and a pale pink t-shirt. After, she headed out to the kitchen table.

"Good morning, Ichigo-san!" Retasu greeted her.

"Look who came over for breakfast today, dear!" Bara said, gesturing to Pai, Tart, Kuriimu, Kish and Sherbet.

Ichigo giggled, knowing that they'd actually been there the whole time; they usually just went to the café for breakfast before going to Berry Sky.

"Have a seat, it's almost ready." Kei said, scooping some over easy eggs out of the pan and onto a plate. Ichigo sat down next to Kish, who grabbed her hand under the table as soon as she did.

* * *

"So," Ryou said, "You've been feeling sick lately, and you can't transform into the Blue Knight, is that it?"

"Yes." Masaya sighed.

"…weird." Ryou said, studying the computer screen further. It showed signs of changes inside Masaya, and whatever it was, it wasn't looking to good. "Masaya, I think you should stay under check for a while."

"What do you mean?" Masaya asked.

"I mean tell someone when you start to feel anything weird or abnormal," Ryou said, "I'm not sure what's going on with you, but we need to be careful of it."

"Like I said at the boardwalk," Kurumi said, "It's not you, it's you."

"That. Doesn't. Make. Any. Sense." Masaya said.

"Yes it does." Kurumi said, "I told you before; you'll understand it eventually."

* * *

Me: Hope it was good! And no, there will not be a psycho, Kish-obsessed fangirl, setup fiance coming in, I find it a bit cliche and I'd like to keep my story unique!...well, as much as I can.

Kish: *snorts* Me and Ichigo had _better _not have any more interruptions!

Me: Yeah. Read and Review please!


	24. This Is It

Me: ^^New chapter! -duh-...hehe, anyway...

Thanks for Reading:  
**Mo12341234  
Rizu Neko-Chan  
Mewkoko  
TheChangingPersonUnderUrBed**

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi does not own Tokyo Mew Mew, only her OC's.**_

* * *

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_Peep_

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_Peep peep peep peep_

_Peep_

Tart and Sherbet stared at the little, white, Styrofoam box sitting on the coffee table in the living room. It was making noises. It had been there for the past few days, but they didn't know what was in it or what it was for, so they just didn't bother with it, but now it was making little noises.

"What do you think is in it?" Sherbet asked.

"Dunno," Tart said, "I wonder if it bites…lets look!" He lifted the top off and found a hatched egg with a small, black chick sitting on the wire grating next to it, peeping his little head off.

"It…had a chick?" Sherbet said, "But I thought chicks came out of eggs from birds."

"They do, at least, that's what Pai said." Tart said, "Maybe he was wrong, maybe they actually come from this thing." He tapped his finger on the edge of the white box.

"Great, but why's it making so much noise?" Sherbet asked.

"Maybe it's hungry." Tart and reached his little hands in to pick the chick up. It started peeping louder. "Ah! What did I do?! Er, here you take it!" He shoved the little bird into Sherbet's hands.

"I-I don't want it!" Sherbet said, gingerly holding the baby animal.

"What are two doing with the box brooder?" They looked and saw Kuriimu standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Box whatta?" Tart asked.

"Box brooder," Kuriimu said, "Mikuru and I set it up to hatch the eggs."

"This came out of it!" Sherbet said, holding up the little black thing in his hands.

Kuriimu walked over and kneeled down next to him, "Yeah, that's what's supposed to happen."

"But we thought chicks came out of eggs that birds laid." Tart said.

"They do," Kuriimu said, "But we took the eggs so the chickens wouldn't eat them."

"Chickens eat their own eggs?!" Both Sherbet and Tart exclaimed in unison.

"Not so loud!" Kuriimu said, "And yes, not put the chick back in the box, I'm not sure what we're supposed to do with it. And besides, Mistoffelees might try to eat him."

"Mistoffelees is just a tiny kitten," Sherbet said, "In fact; I don't think he's much bigger than this chick."

"Just put the chick back, Sherbet," Kuriimu said.

"Okay." He said and put the chick in the broken egg shell. Tart put the lid back on.

"And hey, how do you know what Mistoffelees looks like?" Kuriimu asked, "He's been in Mikuru's room since we brought him in."

Sherbet grinned, "She lets me play with him some times."

Kuriimu sighed and stood up. "You better only be in there for the kitten."

Sherbet looked confused, "What else would I be in a girl's room for?" Tart started laughing into his hands.

"Never mind." Kuriimu said.

Mikuru opened her bedroom door and walked out with the very kitty they had been talking about, Ichigo right behind her. "Kuriimu, we're going to feed Mistoffelees," She said, "want to help?"

"Uh, sure," Kuriimu said, walking over to them, "But why does a can need help with eating?"

"You'll see!" Ichigo said. They walked to the kitchen and Mikuru got out a bag of baby animal milk mix. She put a little in a plastic cup and with some water and mixed it while Ichigo held Mistoffelees.

"What's that for?" Kuriimu asked.

"It's a milk formula," Mikuru answered, "For baby animals like calves, lambs, ponies, animals like that."

"Then why are you using it for a kitten?" Kuriimu asked.

"Because you can also use it for kittens and puppies," Mikuru said. "And bunnies…"

"Oh, don't we also have give him another shot today?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes." Mikuru said.

"So, Ichigo," Kuriimu said, "If Kish isn't smothering you, then where is he?"

Ichigo blushed, "He doesn't smother me, he just…he's kind of attached."

"Kind of?" Kuriimu raised an eyebrow.

"He's out working." Ichigo said.

Mikuru turned around with an oral syringe and the cup of milk formula. "Can I see Mistoffelees?"

"Sure," Ichigo handed her the black kitten.

"Here," Mikuru gave Kuriimu the syringe and held the kitten in one hand with the cup in the other, "You're going to have to fill the syringe with the formula and feed him."

Ichigo smirked, "I guess there's nothing for me to do here, I'll go find Kish." Without another word, and before anyone else could say anything, she ran off.

Mikuru blushed and look down at Mistoffelees, staying silent.

"So," Kuriimu said, "Is it like this?" He put the syringe in the cup and sucked up the milk.

"Yeah, that's it," Mikuru said, "And then feed it to Mistoffelees."

"Okay," Very carefully Kuriimu let only a drop of the milk out onto the kitten's tongue at a time, he didn't want to give him to much at once, and when the syringe emptied her filled it up again, until Mikuru told him that was enough.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you something." Kuriimu said. Mikuru looked up at him. "One of the eggs hatched in the box brooder."

"Oh! We should take care of that after this." Mikuru said.

"Yeah, Tart and Sherbet were playing with him so he might be a bit traumatized," Kuriimu said.

Mikuru giggled, "It couldn't have been that bad."

"Nah, they were just holding him," Kuriimu said.

_CRASH!_

Mikuru gasped and nearly dropped Mistoffelees, "What was that?"

"I don't know," Kuriimu said, "It came from outside."

"Chimera Anima! Let's go!" Ichigo exclaimed, running out the sliding glass door with Minto, Retasu, Purin, Zakuro, and Kuri.

"Oh no!" Mikuru squeaked and gave Kuriimu the kitten, running out with the rest of the mews.

Kuriimu teleported into Mikuru's room and set the kitten on her bed, next teleporting so he was flying along side her. All the mews had their pendants out.

"MEW MEW STRAWBERRY! METAMORPHOSIS!"

"MEW MEW MINT! METAMORPHOSIS!""MEW MEW LETTUCE! METAMORPHOSIS!""MEW MEW PUDDING! METAMORPHOSIS!""MEW MEW ZAKURO! METAMORPHOSIS!""MEW MEW MILK! METAMORPHOSIS!""MEW MEW CHESTNUT! METAMORPHOSIS!"

The crash came from inside the north cow pasture, which was up the driveway and across the street. All four of the bulls that had been in there were now Chimera Animas.

"Oh God!" Kuri said, "They even used Duggy!"

"Is there something different about him?" Ichigo asked.

"He's been being a total jerk for the past few months!" Kuri answered.

"Whatever, lets just attack already!" Mint said and summoned her bow.

"RIBBON…MINT ECHO!" She yelled, jumping into the air and over the fence.

"Koneko-chan!" Ichigo looked behind them and saw Kish, Pai, Tart, and Sherbet. Kish teleported right next to her. "You okay?"

"We haven't even started fighting yet." Ichigo said.

They all stopped and stared when the biggest bull, Mikie, shot red beams of heat from his eyes, hitting a nearby tree and demolishing it. Kish burst out laughing.

"Oh my God! That was awesome!" He laughed.

"Kish! No it wasn't!" Ichigo scolded, "They're destroying the earth, now come on!"

Everyone ran into the pasture and attacked whichever bull Anima they were closest to.

"RIBBON…STRAWBERRY CHECK!"

"RIBBON…MINT ECHO!"

"RIBBON…LETTUCE RUSH!"

"RIBBON…ZAKURO PURE!"

"RIBBON…MILK LULLABY!"

"RIBBON…CHESTNUT CRUSH!"

Tart grunted as he threw his click-clacks at a bull, but all that did was get them stuck around one of the horns.

"Crap!" He whined.

"Tar-Tar! Use this, na no da!" Purin said and tossed him the orange one of the rings.

"I can't use this, it's _your_ weapon!" Tart said, he held it out on front of her with both hands.

Purin popped up between his arms and held the yellow ring out over the orange one Tart was holding. She concentrated on her power. "RIBBON…PUDDING RING INFERNO!" An orange jello glob covered the Anima.

"Whoa!" Tart said, "I did that?"

"No, Purin just thought that would look cool, na no da!" Purin said, grinning.

"Just because you-" He stopped short, hastily wrapping his arms around Purin and jumping into the air as the Chimera Anima charged at them. Her weapons dropped and disappeared.

Kurumi pulled up to the north pasture gate, staring out at the fight. Keiichiro was in the seat next to him, Masaya and Ryou in the bed of the truck. Everyone jumped out, but as soon as Masaya's feet hit the pavement, he doubled over.

"Masaya!" Ryou grabbed both of his shoulders made hit sit down, leaning against the truck.

"RIBBON…MILK LULLABY!" Mikuru shot her attack at the smallest bull, the one she was fighting, and not doing to good on her own. She screamed when it shot the lasers at her and sent her flying; rolling a few times once she hit the ground.

"Mikuru!" Kuriimu yelled. He stopped fighting and flew over to her, helping her sit up on her knees. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah, fine."

Kuriimu gripped her tighter when a red laser beam crashed into something else right behind them. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kish creating a shield with the energy from his Dragon Swords.

"Come on guys!" He said, "Don't just sit there and ogle each other, get up and fight!" Kuriimu blushed.

"What's ogle mean?" Mikuru asked.

"N-never mind, lets go." Kuriimu said and stood up, helping her up next.

""RIBBON…ZAKURO PURE!" Zakuro wrapped her light whip around a bull's horns to hold it in place as Retasu and Pai attacked.

"Fuu Hyou Sen!"

"RIBBON…LETTUCE RUSH!"

The combination of electricity and water electrocuted the bull, and it was almost done for. Just one more attack should do.

"Fuu Rai Sen!"

"RIBBON…LETTUCE RUSH!"

The Anima was defeated. Three more to go.

"RIBBON…CHESTNUT CRUSH!"

"RIBBON…MINT ECHO!"

"RIBBON…STRAWBERRY CHECK!"

Along with the girls, Kish sent an energy ball at the anima. Two to go. All the while, Masha had been eating up the parasite aliens as they were defeated.

Ryou knelt beside Masaya on the pavement. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm fine." Masaya said, a hand over his stomach. "Just a little dizzy now." It seemed to be disappearing the Animas were defeated. He looked up at Kurumi, who was starting at him rather coldly. Keiichiro was keeping his eyes on the fight.

"RIBBON…MILK LULLABY!"

"RIBBON…PUDDING RING INFERNO!"

"RIBBON…CHESTNUT CRUSH!"

"RIBBON…ZAKURO PURE!"

"Fuu Rai Sen!"

One more to go. Everyone who had one prepared their weapons. Tart and Sherbet watched from a ways back.

"RIBBON…STRAWBERRY CHECK!"

"RIBBON…MINT ECHO!"

"RIBBON…LETTUCE RUSH!"

"RIBBON…PUDDING RING INFERNO!"

"RIBBON…ZAKURO PURE!"

"RIBBON…MILK LULLABY!"

"RIBBON…CHESTNUT CRUSH!"

"Fuu Hyou Sen!"

Kish and Kuriimu both sent orbs of energy from their daggers at the Chimera Anima. With all the combined attacks, it was destroyed with ease, though it used up a lot of energy for everyone.

* * *

Once they had all gotten cleaned up, Masaya felt better, and Cherry made lemonade, they all sat around the table to drink.

"Where are those Chimera Anima coming from?" Minto griped, "I mean, there's no aliens showing their faces, not even any reason for them, so who the heck is setting them off?"

"I'm not sure." Ryou said, though he was staring at Masaya. He had an idea of what could be going on.

"Those Animas are getting harder and harder to beat." Ichigo said, leaning on the table, "At least, more are being made at one time."

"I didn't sense anyone from out planet out there," Tart said.

"Sense someone?" Ryou asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Few of our kind have the ability to sense others around them," Pai explained, "Tart is one of those few."

"Kind of like how Kish said he could sense something coming up," Ichigo said.

"What is it with everyone and not telling people these things?" Ryou asked, though it was more to himself than anyone else.

"I believe I may have felt something, too," Pai said, "But I paid no heed to it, I didn't think it would be of any importance."

Kish eyed Sherbet, "What about you, Short Stuff?"

Sherbet looked up at him, "Um…no, not really."

"Not really or no?" Pai asked.

"…no." Sherbet said.

Purin tugged on his arm, "Are you sure, na no da?"

Sherbet blushed and looked down at her, "Er, y-yeah, I'm sure."

Tart glared at him. He always hated it when Purin got to close to Sherbet, though he couldn't quite figure it out, it wasn't like she liked him…right? At least, not as much as she liked him. Tart shook his head, what did he care anyway?

"Well, what work is left to do today?" Kurumi asked.

"I need to fix the horse waterers," Kuri said, "There's a leak in, I think two of them."

"I should check up on my sheep…" Mikuru said.

"Grandpa could use some help with baling," Cherry said, "and then one of the tractors needs to be worked on, but if he's baling today, there won't be any time for that."

"I think the cows need to be moved into the next pasture." Mikuru said.

"We're supposed to be getting a new batch of brooder chicks in two days," Kuri said, "The back room in the coop should probably be cleaned up a bit and made ready for them."

"What happened to Mistoffelees?" Ichigo asked.

"I gave him to Kuriimu." Mikuru said.

"And I put him in her room." Kuriimu said.

"Then he should be fine." Mikuru said.

"I'll help Gramps with the baling," Kurumi said, standing up, "Let's go City Boy." He walked towards the mudroom.

"Why does you helping him have to include me?" Masaya asked. By now, he had gotten used to being called 'City Boy', though it still annoyed him.

"Move it!" He said, leaning on the wall as he slipped his boots on. Masaya sighed and got up, following him. After a few seconds, everyone heard the door open and close.

Mikuru scooted off the bench, "I'm gonna go see the sheep."

"I'll help!" Kuriimu said, following her. Maybe this would be his chance to ask her out finally.

Tart raised an eyebrow, "How does she need help to just look at sheep?"

Kish leaned back, "He's in love, Tart, and love can do strange thing to the mind."

"Excuse me?" Kuri said, "But since when was some alien "in love" with my sister?"

Kish shrugged, "Don't know, but he is."

"I think it's sweet." Ichigo said.

Kuri sighed; she'd have to talk to him later then. "Whatever, come on Minto, you're going to help me with the horse waterers."

Minto stood, "Alright, very well." The two left.

"I'm afraid there's not much more you could do," Cherry said, "You'd need either Grandpa or Kurumi to move the cows, and to work on the tractor, and the chick room shouldn't be cleaned out until the day before, so dust doesn't collect as much."

Kish grabbed Ichigo's hand, "Kitten, lets go for walk!" He loved look around at all the greenery, especially with Ichigo.

"Actually," Ryou said, "I'd like for everyone to get some practice in, so when Kuri, Minto, and Mikuru get back, we should all go out. Is there any large, open fields around here?"

"Yeah, tons." Cherry said, "If you go down the gulf about a half a mile, cross the mini stream to your right, and just go strait, you should come to a pretty big field, I'm sure it'll be big enough."

Ryou nodded, "Alright."

"If Koneko-chan's practicing fighting then I'm going to too." Kish said.

"I said everyone, didn't I?" Ryou said.

* * *

Mikuru knelt down by the sheep's waterer, fiddling around with it to make sure it was working properly. Kuriimu stood next to her, going over how he would ask her on a date…so far nothing seemed to be the right thing to say. She stood up and wiped her hands on the back of her jeans.

"Mikuru!" Kuriimu said, though a little loudly.

She jumped, startled, and looked at him with wide eyes, "What?"

He grabbed her hand and looked determined to do something, but she couldn't figure out what had him all worked up. He stared at her intensely and she shrank back at bit.

"What?" She repeated, starting to look a little frightened by him.

"Um…Mikuru," Kuriimu said, "W-….would you go on a date with me?!" His words came out quickly. A little too quickly, as he watched Mikuru's confused face. It took a minute for her to register what exactly he had said.

"Go…on a date?" Mikuru repeated in a quiet, mousy voice. She blushed, "U-um…I-I-I…"

Kuriimu gulped, "Um, yeah, a date with, you know, me and…you."

Mikuru blushed a deeper shade of pink, "Um…okay."

"Really?" Kuriimu asked, happy though he sounded a little surprised.

Mikuru nodded, "I will…go on a date with you."

Kuriimu grinned and nodded as if somehow that confirmed it, "Great!"

Shyly, Mikuru twined her fingers around his, "W-we should go…back inside now…since this is done."

"Yeah," Kuriimu said.

Kuriimu turned, still holding her hand, and they walk back inside together, Mikuru smiling to herself and keeping down the giggles. He asked her out!

Once they were inside, they found Ryou, Pai, and Keiichiro all talking at the table, Kish and Ichigo gone, and Cherry cleaning up the kitchen with Cookie. Tart, Sherbet, and Purin were also gone.

"Kuriimu, Mikuru," Pai said, "We will be starting a round of training once the others return."

"Okay." Kuriimu said, "When will that be?"

"Kish and Ichigo went to play with Mistoffelees," Ryou said, "Tart, Purin, and Sherbet went out to find the place were we'll training, and Kuri and Minto went out to fix a horse waterer."

Kuriimu and Mikuru slid onto the bench to wait with everyone else. Mikuru just stared down, blushing, and staying silent.

"What's up with you?" Cherry asked her.

"Huh?" Mikuru looked up.

"Your face is red," Cherry said, "And you're being a little quieter than usual."

"U-um, it's nothing." Mikuru said.

Cherry raised an eyebrow, "Okay, if you say so."

It wasn't to long until Purin, Tart, and Sherbet came bouncing back from their little trip to find the clearing in the woods. Purin was hopping up and down with something blue smeared all over her lips and cheeks, Tart and Sherbet not to different.

"We found a blueberry bush, na no da!" Purin announced, ginning brightly.

"We ate a whole bunch of them!" Tart said.

"I think you may have worn them more than anything else." Ryou said.

"We had a blueberry fight!" Sherbet said.

"The deer usually eat the blueberries…" Mikuru said.

"Weren't you supposed to be looking for that field?"

"Oh, we did, na no da!" Purin exclaimed, beginning to bounce again. "We did, we did, we did! It's this _huge_-" She spread her arms out wide towards the ceiling and spun around, "-place with lots of trees and grass and trees, na no da!"

"_What_ was in those blueberries?" Cherry wondered aloud.

"Blue juice stuff!" Sherbet informed.

"Right…" Cherry said and slowly walked back into the kitchen to finish up the dishes and start making dinner for that night.

"I believe natural, organic blueberries have a higher sugar rate than store bought ones," Keiichiro said, "But I find it a bit strange that it was enough to cause a sugar high."

"Noooo!" Purin said, "Purin, Tar-Tar, and Sherby-kun also had sour gummy worms, na no da!"

"Oh my gosh, those were good!" Tart said. "We ate the whole bag!"

"I'm Sherby-kun!" Sherbet said, bouncing on his heels.

"I think…we should give them chloroform and just make them sleep for a few hours." Kuriimu said.

Ryou stood, "No, no, Purin should get some practice in too. If Kuri and Minto are already down the gulf then let's get Ichigo and Kish and head out."

"Where'd they get sour gummy worms?" Mikuru asked.

"With Purin, she probably had them stashed away somewhere." Keiichiro said.

Ryou walked up to Mikuru and Kuri's bedroom door and knocked lightly, but when he got no response he just opened the door, but was rather surprised when he did. Ichigo and Kish were sitting on her sleeping bag, kissing.

He cleared his throat loudly and Ichigo jumped away, blushing like mad, though her cat ears and tail had already been out. Kish just looked at him, annoyed that they had been so rudely disturbed.

"What?" He said, inching back over to Ichigo.

"Let's go, it's time for practice," Ryou said, he smirked at Ichigo, "Not making out with your boyfriends."

Kish raised and eyebrow and looked at Ichigo, "Boyfriend_s_? As in, plural? And not just one?"

"Jerk." Ichigo mumbled to Ryou and he smiled and walked away. She turned to Kish and said, "No, it's just you, he was only being mean…again."

Kish wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, "Good, 'cause Kitten had better not be cheating on me." He sighed and laid his head on her shoulder, "I don't know what I'd do if I had to share you…"

"Kish…people don't have more than one lover at a time on your planet, do they?" Ichigo asked, feeling a little worried.

"No," Kish said, "I was just saying, you wouldn't be able to get rid of me that easily. I'd put up a fight you know."

"I'm sure," Ichigo said, "and I don't want to get rid of you."

Kish looked up at her, "Really?"

"No." Ichigo confirmed.

Kish fought down a smirk, "Kiss me to prove it."

"Kish, we were just m-"

"Yes, but it's always me who starts it," Kish said, interrupting, "You're never the one to kiss me first."

Ichigo sighed, "Alright, fine." She mumbled and leaned in. She closed the gap between them and pressed her lips to his. Kish smiled into the kiss and pressed back, though as usual it was Ichigo who pulled away first.

"Thanks for the kiss, Kitten, but you pulled away too soon." Kish said.

"Don't we have somewhere to be?" Ichigo said, trying to change the subject.

Kish nodded and stood up, pulling Ichigo up with him, "You're right; I guess we should go before Blondie walks in again."

They went out and found everyone waiting in the kitchen. Tart and Sherbet had a grossed out look on their faces and Kuriimu was stifling laughs behind a hand.

"What? Did the whole world have to know that me and Kitten were kissing?" Kish said.

"Well, they asked what you were doing." Ryou said. Ichigo stood there and blushed.

"You didn't have to say they were making out, though," Tart said.

Ryou shrugged, "Whatever, lets just go already."

* * *

Everyone was at the clearing in the forest, which was rather big and covered in grass. The aliens were now in their alien clothes, and ready to practice their fighting skills. Tart, Purin, and Sherbet had gotten cleaned up and settled down, and Masaya and Kurumi were on break so they had gone down too.

"I've never seen you with your hair back," Mikuru said to Kuriimu. His dark silver hair was tied back into a low ponytail at the base of his neck with a white band. His clothes were black pants like Pai's, only they came down to his ankles and had dark red edging, his shirt was a tight, dark red tank top with an open, black vest over it, the tank top having black edging and the vest having dark red edging, red shoes that were like Pai's, dark gray wraps on his forearms, and two, long, silver ribbons came from the back of his pants.

"It looks nice," Mikuru said.

"Thanks!" Kuriimu said.

"Who's going to start first?" Kish asked.

"Pai, Retasu, you two can go first." Ryou said.

"Why must I take orders from a human?" Pai asked.

"Let's just go," Retasu said and pulled him to the center of the clearing by his elbow. He seemed to cooperate better when it was _her_ telling him what to do; it made her want to giggle.

The practice went like this; two would fight against each other but be careful enough that no one got hurt, after Pai and Retasu it was Ichigo against Zakuro, and then Minto against Purin and so on until everyone had gone at least three times, then they decided to stop for a bit.

Kish was sitting against a tree in the grass with Ichigo when she poked his bellybutton. He looked at her, confused, but she only giggled at him. He reached over and poked her bellybutton, though had a bit of trouble finding it since her stomach was covered by her mew dress.

"Is this some sort of human sign of affection?" He asked.

She blushed, "No, not really, I just felt like poking your bellybutton," She moved to sit next to him and leaned on him. "It's always showing whenever you wear that shirt."

Kish looked down at his shirt and pale stomach, still not quite getting the significance of her poking his bellybutton. He simply shrugged it off and pulled her closer.

"You're glaring again." Masaya jumped, startled, and looked up at Kurumi, the only one standing and leaning against the tree Masaya was sitting under, his hand in his pockets. Since when had he been there?

Masaya looked down at the grass, "What would you do when the girl you love was stolen away by some alien?" He snorted, "He's not even from this planet!"

"This just shows how much she cares," Kurumi said, "Weather he's from earth or not doesn't matter to Ichigo, all that does matter is that he cares about her in return and treats her like he should."

"_I_ care about her in return, and I treated her like I should've," Masaya said, "so why'd she leave? What is it about him?"

"He shows it?" Kurumi offered, "In my experience, girls don't generally like it when their boyfriends show they care in small, fleeting ways."

"I was showing her respect," Masaya said.

"Maybe, but obviously too much that she felt more like a friend to you than someone special." Kurumi said.

"Does she really like how he's always all over her like that?" Masaya asked, again glaring at Kish snuggled up under a different tree with Ichigo.

"I don't even know why I'm talking about this with you," Kurumi said, "I think your skulls to thick to actually listen to what I'm saying."

"Oh, what do you know anyway?" Masaya said, "Have you ever even had a girlfriend before?"

"I'm seventeen, of course I have," Kurumi said, "Not right now though, I'd prefer to not start anything just before I sign up for the Air Force."

Masaya looked up at him, "You're pretty serious about that, huh?"

Kurumi nodded slowly, "Yup."

Masaya heard a squeal come from Ichigo and looked over at her and Kish, who now had her pinned to the ground and was tickling her. She smiled bright and laughed, looking happier and more carefree than she ever had with himself. He didn't know it was there yet, but he was starting to hate Kish, for everything, for being able to make Ichigo smile like she was, and laugh as hard as she was, and just for ever having been involved in her life. How did they even meet? Ichigo had never told him that, he always just guessed it was during their first fight, but what if it had been some other way? There was really no other explanation for the enemy to fall in love with you than to have met you outside of battle, but then why would Kish have approached her? She was human; he was supposed to hate humans. And he should, just as she should hate him, and not have anything to do with him besides fighting him for earth, and hopefully win.

Masaya twitched, still glaring at them. He stood up only be yanked back by the collar of his shirt by Kurumi, "Leave them."

"You don't even know what I stood up for." Masaya said.

Kurumi looked over at Kish and Ichigo, who were now lying on the grass together, just looking at each other, "They're happy, just leave them be."

Masaya yanked himself free of Kurumi's grip. "You don't know what it's like for me to have to see her with someone else."

"I do." Kurumi said.

"How?" Masaya asked, skeptical.

The corner of Kurumi's mouth twitched upward, "Her name was Ebi, she was beautiful, long, purple hair, black as eyes, we went out for almost a year, and then I told her I wanted to be in the military."

"She dumped you just for that?" Masaya asked.

"Yeah, started going out with some high school jock on the football team," Kurumi said, "Told me she didn't want to be some military wife, always waiting and wondering if and when I was ever going to come home, always alone, and I don't blame her for it. I wouldn't have wanted that for her either."

"And so you just let her go?" Masaya asked.

Kurumi shrugged, "I loved her, all I wanted was for her to be happy, weather that meant she was with me or someone else."

"Do you still love her?" Masaya asked.

Kurumi looked up at the sky, thinking it over, "You know, I'm not really sure."

"Training is commencing once again!" Pai announced.

It was Kish and Ichigo going first, and everyone else stayed seat around the trees, though Kurumi stayed standing, all watching.

Kish summoned his Dragon Swords, focusing mainly on controlling himself enough to still put up a good fight but make sure he didn't hurt her and that she had plenty of time to dodge should his attack be misaimed.

"STRAWBERRY BELL!" Ichigo summoned her own weapon, the heart shaped thing appearing in her hands.

Ryou sat at the base of a tree with Keiichiro, his laptop in his lap, monitoring the mews' progress in battling and whatever else he had to do on it. He was also keeping an eye on Masaya's power charts, making sure nothing spiked like it seemed to do when he would get dizzy or feel sick.

Kish created an energy ball with his swords, aiming just a little to the left of Ichigo, and setting it off. Just as he did, she leapt into the air, curling and spinning a few times before landing neatly on her feet behind him. Kish turned around and held his swords up, crossing them, to block Ichigo's weapon as she ran at him with it. They pushed off each other and were once again standing a few feet apart as they had started, this time on opposite sides of the field.

Masaya watched, his eyes darting between the two. Kish had cut it a little close with his swords, he thought, but what it was just practice, he wasn't actually going to hurt her. And he knew that, but he couldn't help but want to make the fight stop and fight Kish himself in place of Ichigo.

The two kept practice fighting, attacking and dodging each other until Kish accidentally grazed Ichigo's arm with his swords. He stopped a few feet behind her and looked back.

"Kitten, are you okay- whoa!" Every looked surprised as Kish jumped back, out of the way of the Blue Knight's sword. "What the hell?! It was an accident!"

"I thought he couldn't transform into the Blue Knight anymore?" Minto asked Ryou, sounding urgent and a little worried.

"He's not supposed to!" Ryou said, looking back down at his laptop and see that Masaya's power had shot up almost beyond what his computer could track. "What the…?"

Kish kept jumping around, dodging the Blue Knight, "Knock it off, I didn't mean to hit her!"

"Masaya, stop!" Ichigo exclaimed, but he just kept swinging at him with his sword, glaring at Kish as he had been for almost the entirety of the past few days. He was determined to do _something_ to Kish, and obviously wouldn't stop until he had.

"Er…!" The Blue Knight stopped suddenly, collapsing to the ground on his hands and knees, panting, his sword dropping to his side.

Ryou's computer made a strange, electric noise and died. "Ryou?" Keiichiro said.

"This isn't good," Ryou said.

"Oh,_ thank you_ Mr. Obvious." Minto said sarcastically.

Ryou shot her a glare, quickly setting his laptop aside and standing, "Something about the Blue Knight has changed, and I'm pretty sure it's for the worst." He and Keiichiro were now quickly walking over to him, Kish watching from the tree branch he'd stopped in, and knelt down next to him.

"Masaya?" Ryou said, "Hey, answer me!" He put his hand on his shoulder but Masaya jerked away, causing himself to collapse further onto the ground. He grimaced when his head hit the earth beneath him and he gritted his teeth, his breathing becoming more and more labored with each breath.

Pai moved in front of Retasu, guarding her from him as if he would get up any second just attack whoever, holding his fan-like weapon at his shoulder. Kuriimu wrapped his arms around Mikuru's waist and pulled her into him from behind and gripped his dagger in one hand, Tart and Sherbet both had their weapons, Tart's click-clacks and Sherbet's tonfas, and stepped in front of Purin, standing firmly and looking ready for anything. Kish teleported from the tree to standing in front of Ichigo, Sais in hand, gripping them tightly as he stood between her and the Blue Knight. Whatever was happening, this is what he had felt, he knew it was, it had to be.

* * *

Me: Dun dun dun! There will probably be about one or two more chapters after this, and then an epilog, and then...'tis over! I think the ending of this was kind of rushed though, I'm not used to writing fight scenes and such, so this'll really be the first time with something this big for me. I just hope it comes out okay...XP Oh, and yes, we do actually have bulls named Mickey and Dugey, -Dugey is a jerk!- and we also have one named Spok.

Purin: Read and Review please, na no da! Tell us what you think!!

Me: Just please don't kill me...*is nervous...as usual*


	25. His Reason

Me: Sorry it took so long to write this, I wasn't quite sure what to do with it, hehe! Anyway, I really hope I did okay...

Thanks for Reading:  
**Zira the insane one** -how odd that you review just as I'm updating, it's kind of funny!-  
**Mo12341234  
TheChangingPersonUnderUrBed  
Midnight Tornado  
Mewkoko**

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi does not own Tokyo Mew Mew, only her OC's.**

* * *

Ichigo grabbed Kish's arm, "What's happening to Masaya?"

Kish looked back at her, seeing her pretty face filled with concern and worry and probably a little fear. "I don't know." He told her, and he really didn't.

Everyone kept their eyes on Masaya, wondering what was happening to him. Masaya himself now understood what Kurumi had been talking about; his not being able to transform into the Blue Knight wasn't because of him, it was because of _him_, it was something inside him that he couldn't control, not in a sense that it was his fault because of that, but it was still because of him. Sure, maybe explaining it would be a bit confusing but all in all it made sense.

"Both of you get back," Zakuro ordered to Ryou and Keiichiro, they hesitated for a moment but went over to where Kurumi was standing.

Masaya started to glow a bright white, the light becoming bigger and bigger with each passing moment, so bright that everyone had to close their eyes and raise their arms to guard their eyes. Masaya blonde hair turned a slick black and came out of it's ponytail, his skin became as white as snow, his nails growing, and his blue coat buttoning down the rest of the way. The light faded and he slowly, and slightly shakily, stood up.

Ichigo tightened her grip on Kish's arm, what was happening? What happened to Masaya? As if he had heard her thinking about him, Masaya turned and looked at her. She gasped and Kish shifted his weight to his other foot, forcing his attention to switch to him. Masaya-or whoever he had turned into-looked up to the skies. Everyone looked up to see a blue, diamond shaped structure in the sky, a yellow ring of blocks circling around it.

"_The palace._" Kish, Pai, Tart, Kuriimu, and Sherbet all said in their minds. They knew what it was, they had enjoyed the fascinating stories when they were young children of Deep Blue's palace from back when they lived on earth all those many years ago, it was the mystical place where their ruler, savior, protector resided, his royal castle, where no one else was aloud to roam unless absolutely necessary. But of course, like all childhood tales, it was jut that; a tale. In truth, it was where Deep Blue planned his plans of demolition against not only the human race but also against the aliens, thus explaining why no one was ever aloud to see him unless it was just that urgent.

"Masaya…is Deep Blue." Kish said, looking back down at him.

"No!" He heard Ichigo gasp behind him, and it made a faint twinge of jealously shoot through him that she was so worried about him.

"We have to fight him," Pai stated, "No matter what happens, or who he is, we have to fight him." Though he was looking towards the structure in the sky, his words were mainly directed to Ichigo, and everyone knew it.

Why was he just standing there? But apparently he had heard, as he summoned a sword identical to that of the Blue Knight's. He held it out in front of himself, ready for anything.

Minto summoned her bow silently and raised it, standing behind Deep Blue, preparing her bow and-

_Shink!_

Fast than the mews could see, Deep Blue had spun around, deflecting the arrow and sending it into a tree. Minto gasped, lowering her bow.

Deep Blue looked up, towards the structure and teleported just as something large rammed into the ground where he once stood. It was a Chimera Anima, followed by several of them. Five giant bears, and one unique one that had a mermaid fine, almost human body, fiery hair, clawed nails, and could scream like no banshee ever even knew how.

Ryou stared at it in horror. That was the very Chimera Anima that had killed his parents.

"Ichigo!" Kish yelled when she jumped onto a tree branch, then to a high one, and high and high, until she took as long and big a leap as she could, aiming for the blue structure in the sky.

She landed just on the edge of the steps leading into the palace, almost falling off but leaping forward and landing on her knees and hands. She looked up and then stood, staring down the long hall the ended with darkness, she couldn't see how long it was. The flooring was a burgundy red rug, the high walls a dark wood engraved with gold swirls. Slowly, she started down the long hallway, not knowing where she was going, just letting her instincts guide her, her pink eyes scanning over everything, not letting a single detail of the place escape her. The hall held nothing in it save for the stone pillars that held the ceiling up every so feet.

Kish leapt onto the same tree branch that Ichigo had, but leapt back off, lunging himself at a Chimera bear with his Dragon Swords. He knew he had to get to Ichigo before she got herself hurt, there was no way she could beat Deep Blue alone, he knew this for a fact, but he was a little preoccupied at the moment. Couldn't the mews handle the Animas alone, though? There was six of them without Ichigo, he should be able to handle these things on their own. Minto, Kuri, and Zakuro were up against the biggest, weird looking Chimera Anima, Purin, Tart, Kuriimu, and Mikuru were fighting two of the bears, Kuri, Pai, and Retasu fighting two others, and Sherbet fighting one, the one Kish was also fighting.

Kish sent a ball of energy at the Anima, just as Sherbet rammed into it's face with one of his tonfa. Kish landed on the grass next to him, "You can help the others alone, right?"

Sherbet looked up at him, fear evident in his eyes, but he said, "Yeah."

"Good." Kish said and took off towards the sky, flying up to the diamond structure and inside.

Ichigo found her way to a long staircase once she had finally reached the end of the hall. She took one step and felt something weird, like something was calling her, then another, the feeling grew, and it kept growing until she reached the top of the stairs. There, standing at the other end of the huge, spacious room, was Deep Blue.

She silently gasped inwardly, staring at him with wide eyes. She had to fight him but…he was Masaya, how should she? Her ex-boyfriend he may be, but still her friend. She gulped down her hesitance and fear and said; "Masaya."

He turned and looked at her, his icy stare bearing into her like pins to a voodoo doll. He did not speak, he did not move, he did not do anything.

Ichigo took a step forward, he kept staring, she took another step, then a few more, faster, until she was in the center of the room.

"Masaya," She said again.

Finally, Deep Blue spoke, his voice even more icy and cold than his eyes, steady and smooth, "Masaya no longer lives."

"That can't be true!" Ichigo shouted in protest, her voice ringing through the room, though no echo was heard.

"It is." Deep Blue said, "I have taken over him, he was but a puppet under my instructions."

"He's still there!" Ichigo insisted.

Deep Blue raised his sword, "He is not." A blue ball of electricity formed at the end of his sword and shot at Ichigo, but she held up her Strawberry Bell and formed a shield of pink light, deflecting the blow to crash into the wall.

"I know Aoyoma is still in there!" Ichigo screamed, lowering her weapon.

In the hall, Kish heard her scream and just barely made out what she said, but he knew it was about Masaya. He sped up, flying as fast as he could towards the end of the hall. He had to make sure she stayed safe.

"He is gone, human," Deep Blue said, "Are you truly so stupid as to think otherwise than what I tell you? This is exactly why every last one of you need to perish."

"Masaya can't be gone," Ichigo persisted, "I know he's still there, I can see it in your eyes!"

"My eyes?" Deep Blue said, "And just what do you see in my eyes?"

"They're cold, uncaring," Ichigo said, "But there's also the tiniest glint of compassion in them, and that…that's how I know he's still there."

Deep Blue closed his eyes and looked away, "You are incorrect human."

"You look away because you know it's true!" Ichigo exclaimed.

Deep Blue look back at her quickly, sending another ball of electricity as her. She dodged out of the way.

"You know it's true!" Ichigo repeated.

"Shut up." Deep Blue said.

Kish paused a moment, hearing something crash and a wall crumble, his eyes widening in fear. He sped ahead again, concerned only with getting to Ichigo and keeping her safe. How long was this hall? It seemed like it went on forever.

Deep Blue sent yet another energy ball at Ichigo, but she couldn't dodge it this time, it hit her and sent her flying into the wall, creating a huge, gaping hole where he backside rammed into it and crumbled to the floor. She was bruised badly and probably had a few cuts and crapes, some probably bleeding, all over her body. She looked up at him, having no idea of she could do.

Kish finally reached the long staircase. He couldn't teleport in the palace, it was impossible for anyone but Deep Blue to do so within it. He raced up the stairs, tripping once he was going so fast, and entered the room just in time to see Ichigo get flown into a wall. No one had noticed him yet, though.

Deep Blue turned around, facing the giant glass window behind him. What exactly was he doing? It was like he was waiting for something to happen.

Ichigo looked to the doorway and saw Kish, she was about to say something but he put a finger to his lips, telling her to keep quiet. The longer Deep Blue didn't know he was there the longer he had to plan a surprise attack on him. Kish looked around the room, there was nothing in there, it was just a large room with windows going along all the walls, high up and letting in large amounts of sunlight.

Ichigo shakily stood up, both her and Kish didn't know what to do. How were they supposed to fight Deep Blue? Could they just keep insisting that Aoyoma Masaya was still there and hope for him to change back? But then, that wouldn't kill Deep Blue, which was what they needed to happen to keep Earth and all of it's humans and animals alive and safe. Kish lifted into the air and as silently and slowly as he could he inched his way over to Ichigo.

"We have to attack." He whispered into her cat ear. She gasped.

Deep Blue's ear twitched, hearing her, and he turned around to see both of them. "Hm, how sweet," He said coldly, "the first traitor and our enemy's leader, so close together, so intimate…so _caring_ of each other."

Kish planted his feet on the ground and stepped in front of Ichigo, squaring his shoulders and glaring at Deep Blue, "I won't let you hurt her."

"And what if I kill you?" Deep Blue asked, "Then what will you do?"

"Then I'll have died trying." Kish said. Fear shot through Ichigo that Kish could so easily accept death like that, and all just for her. Did he really love her _that__much_?

Deep Blue smirked, but it seemed…unreal, almost, like his face was only a plastic mask, being molded into shape, never cooling enough to harden and stay in one position until it was so old it rotted away into nothingness.

"Is that a challenge?" Deep Blue asked.

Kish didn't answer for a moment, thinking it over, turning it around and around in his head, looking over every possible outcome, trying to figure out if he was really strong enough to beat Deep Blue. His chances of winning weren't to great, but if it was for Ichigo's protection, "Yes."

"Very well," Deep Blue said, "I give you sixty seconds time with the girl."

Kish nodded and turned to Ichigo. As soon as he did, she rammed herself into him, wrapping her arms around his torso in a tight hug, burying her face in his chest, and he could feel her shivering and shaking, sobs getting caught in her throat, and her ragged breath against his skin, warm and shaky, breathing in and out through her mouth. He hugged her back as tight as he could without hurting her.

"Don't, Kish, don't do this," She mumbled into his chest.

He stroked her hair, "Kitten, I wouldn't forgive myself if I let something happen to you, I have to do this."

Ichigo shook her head, ever the stubborn one, "No, you don't, we can fight him together, both of us."

"No, Ichigo," Kish said firmly. He pulled away only a little bit so he could brush the hair out of her face and give her a reassuring smile, "Besides, the deal has already been made, me against him, no one else involved."

"Kish…" Ichigo said, her voice barely over a whisper, and buried her face in his chest again. She remembered back to everything they'd been through in the past two weeks, first the dance at the fair, then their first date, all the times they spent the night together, after all of it, she finally realized something. "I love you." She knew it now for sure now, after all the times he'd said it to her, and kissed her, and after everything he'd told her, she finally returned his love for her. No more questions to ask herself if it was real, no matters with age or anything else, all that mattered was the she loved him, and he loved her.

Kish froze, her words sinking in, before he broke into a huge smile and kissed her as passionately and lovingly as he could, his arms snaked around her waist, and hers slipping around his neck. "I love you too, Koneko-chan." He said breathily once he pulled away.

Deep Blue watched them in disgust, wondering how in Kami's name the boy could possibly have any affectionate feelings towards a human. It was beyond him, and he was sick of watching it, let alone having it take place in his presence, "Your time is up!" He called over to them.

Reluctantly, Kish pulled away from Ichigo, "I guess this is it, Kitten." He said, a slight sad smirk on his lips.

Ichigo nodded, also sad, and Kish turned to walk up to Deep Blue. "You better come out of this in once piece, or I'll dig you up from your grave and kill you myself, ya' hear!" She called as he walked away. Kish couldn't help but smirk at that. A sob chocked in Ichigo's throat, she felt like an army wife watching the recruiter take her husband away, only she had to stand there and watch his war take place right in front of her. She bit down on her lower lip, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over.

Kish summoned his Dragon Swords and flew at Deep Blue, just as he flew at him with his own sword.

* * *

On the ground below, after the five Chimera bears had been beaten, five more showed up and it was like an endless cycle. The mews and aliens were fighting them as best as they could without getting themselves to worn out, switching every so often on who was fighting the bigger, odd looking Chimera Anima.

Pai was keeping a close eye on Retasu, especially the deep cuts she had across her collar bone and knees. They were bleeding pretty bad, but she pretended not to notice them, only wincing when she landed back on the ground from jumping and when she thought no one was looking at her. She was definitely tougher than he had originally given her credit for.

Tart, Purin, and Sherbet were putting up a good fight with two of the bears, but Purin had a lot of little scratches on her legs and arms, Tart had a cut across his stomach and several bruises, and Sherbet had a black eye, several little scratches on his lower legs and hands, and a cut on his left cheek. Tart was a little surprised to see how seriously Purin was taking the fight, frowning in concentration, rather than hopping around playfully like she usually did. She ran in a circle around the bear and then leapt from the ground, pressing her feet into the truck of a tree, high up, and springing off aiming for the Anima, shouting, "RIBBON…PUDDING RING INFERNO!"

Minto, Zakuro, and Kuri were currently the ones fighting the big Chimera Anima, and even with three on the job and switching with the others occasionally, it still wasn't getting beat. They were cut, scratched, banged, and bruised and bloody, and getting nowhere. Sure, they had done some damage on the thing, but nothing enough to defeat it, and it was starting to get pretty frustrating.

Kuri ran around it, yelling, "RIBBON…CHESTNUT CRUSH!" And threw her weapon as the attack went off, near exploding when it hit the Anima but forming back in her hands after the attack was done. It screamed it's earsplitting screech and charged for Minto.

Minto raised her bow, "RIBBON…MINT ECHO!" She shot the Anima right in the eye with an arrow.

"RIBBON…ZAKURO PURE!" Zakuro's light whip wrapped around it's tail and with a sharp jerk she dragged into the ground. It wriggled and writhed before shooting up into the sky, snapping Zakuro's whip off of it's tail and throwing her back into a tree.

"Oneesama!" Minto exclaimed, watching as her back slammed against the rough bark and she fell to the ground on her hands and knees.

Kuri and Minto had to jump around of the way of the Anima's long tail before it crashed into the ground, an attempt to crush them.

Mikuru and Kuriimu were doing no better than the others, both just as banged up and bruised and bloodied, and starting to get pretty tired. Mikuru had claw marks across her back where a bear had taken a swipe at her, the gray ribbon on her back had a tear in it, and her white mew outfit was covered in dirt. Kuriimu had a huge tear in his shirt, across his stomach, that was crusted around the edges of the ripped cloth with drying blood, a gash on his stomach, and his hair had been pulled out of it's ponytail, now flying freely around his face.

He glanced at Mikuru and saw her on the ground, sitting between her legs with her hands pressed to her knees for support, panting with her eyes squeezed closed. With a final blow, the bear was destroyed and landed on the ground in front of her, gently grabbing her arms.

"Mikuru, are you okay?" He asked hurriedly, ignoring the stinging from the gash on his stomach and glancing at the bleeding wounds on the girl's back.

She looked up at him, seeing the fear and concern in his eyes and hearing it in his voice. They knew it just as well as everyone else, those fighting and those watching, that this was it, this was going to be the final battle that decided who won, Deep Blue or Tokyo Mew Mew, the war that would decide weather all were doomed to the death or if there was hope for both races to live in peace. Mikuru also knew that she had to tell him, let him know before it was to late and she would have to hold it in for the rest of her life, however short of long it may be.

"If you live to be one hundred then I want to live to be ninety-nine so I won't ever have to live a single day without you!" Mikuru exclaimed, hot tears gathering in her eyes but never falling.

Kuriimu look surprised at first but them hugged her, burying his face in her white hair, feeling her little lamb ear flicker against his forehead and her tiny horn getting caught in his hair.

"I love you," He said.

Mikuru hugged him back as tight as she could, "I love you too."

She gasped when he gripped her tighter and jumped out of the way of one of the bear Chimeras, landing on a tree branch.

"Mews!" Minto shouted, "I have an idea!"

"What is it, na no da?!" Purin asked, diving out of a tree just as a Chimera bear tried to swipe her.

"We'll round up the Animas and then attack from all sides!" Minto explained as she flew into the air and shot an arrow at the Chimera Anima, "RIBBON…MINT ECHO!"

"Come on, move it!" She shouted down to the others.

At once, they began to run around the Chimera Animas, dodging attacks when they needed to, and rounding them up all into one place, squished up against each other.

The mews each held up their weapons.

"RIBBON…MINT ECHO!"

"RIBBON…LETTUCE RUSH!"

"RIBBON…PUDDING RING INFERNO!"

"RIBBON…ZAKURO PURE!"

"RIBBON…MILK LULLABY!"

"RIBBON…CHESTNUT CRUSH!"

Each mew concentrated hard on only gathering their power, making it as strong as they could, and attacking the several Chimera Animas. A bright, multicolored bright light flashed, forcing the aliens, Ryou, Keiichiro, and Kurumi, to cover their eyes from it.

It faded just as quickly as it had come, and when they could look again, the girls were on the ground, more bruised and banged up than before, lying in a circle.

"Mikuru! Kuri!" Kurumi ran over to his little sisters and kneeled next to them, unsure of what to do.

Everyone ran to the mews, Ryou and Keiichiro knelt down next to Minto and Zakuro, Pai next to Retasu, Tart and Sherbet next to Purin, and Kuriimu next to Mikuru. Purin's eyes were half closed but she still smiled up at Tart.

* * *

Kish and Deep Blue were in a sword lock, Kish had his Dragon Swords crossed, pressed against Deep Blue's sword. He was putting up a fare fight, Deep Blue had to admit, but he still didn't think he was any match for him, he was so much stronger and bigger than Kish, and he knew he knew it.

"Tell me," Deep Blue said, keeping his eyes locked with Kish's, "why do you fight when you know you have no chance of winning?"

"For her," Kish growled between gritted teeth, glaring into Deep Blue's cold eyes. "Now, you tell me something; why did you stop caring? Why did you stop giving orders and stop everything?"

Deep Blue smirked, "I suppose I might as well tell you; I figured it out, I figured it all out. It was only a matter of time before my awakening, and the fighting wasn't helping anything, especially with you gone and the mews constantly winning, it was pointless to have my best warriors on the field, almost killing themselves over pathetic, human _females_. Honestly, what is it that they do to you to make you want betray your own people?"

"You wouldn't understand," Kish said and smirked himself, "You're to heartless."

"Really, what is it all about?" Deep Blue asked, "I bet I know; she's just some _toy_ for your perverted-"

Before he could finish, Kish jerked his hands to the side, forcing Deep Blue to lower his sword, and punched him right in the jaw. He grabbed him by the collar of his blue coat and hissed, "Don't you dare _ever_ talk about Ichigo like that _ever__again_."

Deep Blue only smirked at him and began to slowly raise his sword.

"Kish!" Ichigo screamed to warn him.

Kish looked over but Deep Blue had already raised his sword high and was just about to bring it down and slice him right through his midsection. Kish screwed his eyes shut, ready for the blow…but it never came, he heard the sound of metal slicing flesh, before clanking to the ground, and the thud of a body also falling to the floor, but it hadn't happened to him. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw Ichigo on her hands and knees, on the ground, her Strawberry Bell gripped tightly in her hands as she sat there panting, and Deep Blue's sword now across the room. She had cuts on her elbows but the slicing Kish had heard was when the sword flew past Deep Blue, slicing his shoulder in the process where a new and bloodied tear was in his cloak, the body falling to the floor must have been Ichigo when she knocked the sword out of Deep Blue's hand and then dropped to the floor.

"Ichigo…" Kish said. He dropped Deep Blue, causing him to fall to the ground, and hugged Ichigo. "You could've gotten yourself killed, are you crazy?"

Deep Blue stood, gritting his teeth in stinging pain, "Ichigo." He hissed. Kish and Ichigo looked over at him. "Ichigo," He grunted, Kish tightened his grip on Ichigo, "The mew aqua…it's inside me."

They were both surprised at what he'd said and wondered if it was really still Deep Blue. He stared intently at Ichigo, "Ichigo…I can only hold out for so long, but you have to listen to me." He said gruffly.

"M-Masaya?" Ichigo said, her voice airy from surprise.

"Mew Aqua is inside me," Deep Blue -or rather, Masaya- said, "I'll try…to pull myself out, and you have to do the rest."

Ichigo shook her head, her eyes wide, "No, no Masaya, I can't do that- you can't ask me to do that-"

"You have to." Masaya cut her off. "Ichigo…it's up to you…to save Earth."

"M-Masaya…" Ichigo's eyes began to tear up.

He smiled weakly, though it looked happy, "I love you, never forget that, even if you love someone else."

Ichigo nodded slowly and hesitantly, but stayed silent. She screwed her eyes shut, her small fists raised to over her mouth, when Masaya jerked backwards, Deep Blue taking control of his body once again. The switching had obviously taken some out of Deep Blue.

Kish put his hands on Ichigo's hips from behind and gripped her firmly, "Kitten," He whispered into her black cat ear.

"I can't do this, Kish," She whispered back, "I-I can't…"

"You have to, Ichigo," Kish whispered, "You have to be strong, for everyone. For Minto, and Retasu, little Purin-chan, Zakuro, Mikuru, Kuri, for every living creature on earth."

"But…I'm not strong enough to-"

"You can do this Ichigo," Kish cut her off, "If anything, do it for me, Ichigo," He wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a gentle squeeze. "You love this planet the way it is, with everyone you love on it, I won't be able to stand seeing you give it up just because _he's_ the one you have to fight."

On the ground below, the mews weakly began to move their arms, reaching for each others hands.

"What are they doing?" Kuriimu asked, looking up at Ryou, Mikuru partly lying on his lap.

"I…don't know." Ryou said. He looked confused at why the mews were reaching to take each others' hands.

Pai had moved Retasu's head to lie in his lap, "They are…joining their powers, I think." He said.

And they were, lying on the ground, beaten and bloodied, they grabbed each others hands and mustered up whatever power they had left. Blue, green, yellow, purple, white, and brown. The beams of light shot into the sky and into the palace.

Ichigo glowed a hot pink, the variously colored lights streaming into her, mixing with her own power, making her stronger, much stronger. Something told Kish to let go of Ichigo, to back away from her, but he didn't. He ignored the little voice in the back of his head, wanting to stay with her and protect her more than listen to his subconscious. He loved her to much to care about anything else.

"RIBBON…" Despite her protests, her Irimote Wildcat genes forced up a will to fight for the earth. So, with tears streaming from her eyes, she attacked. "STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!"

Kish took a single small step back, the power emanating from the Strawberry Bell nearly knocking both him and Ichigo off their feet. He tightened his arms around her waist, holding her as tight as he could, a slight twinge of fear that it would be the last time. He couldn't explain it, but for some reason he felt as though Deep Blue wouldn't be the only one not coming out of this.

Masaya struggled inside Deep Blue, fighting his way out with the Mew Aqua. He managed to work his own spirit out and hold Deep Blue still. He grabbed his hands and raised the sword, knowing the only way he was going to be able to get the Mew Aqua out. As soon as Ichigo's attack hit, he rammed the sword into his chest, Deep Blue letting out a pain filled scream.

At once, everything just stopped. Ichigo's attack stopped, all power seemingly just drained from her, Deep Blue stopped jerking around, and the mews on the ground below them relaxed, all energy gone, it was as thought Time had stopped, pausing all clocks and making the earth stop just to drag out the moment. It would make one wonder, did Time like watching people cry, and suffer, and watch their pain? If so, then Time was very twisted and sick, the kind of being no one hoped to ever meet, and yet all knew very well who he was, is, and always would be. Time was everywhere, there was no escaping him, and yet he was still no friend to most. He paused the earth to make Ichigo stand there, Kish holding her tightly from behind, and having to see Masaya's spirit smile at her before fading away.

And then, just like that, Time started again. Ichigo dropped her Strawberry Bell, wrenched herself from Kish's grip, only faintly hearing him scream her name as he tried to grab her, and ran for Masaya, screaming. "AOYOMA-KUN!" She couldn't let him die, especially not if it was on her hands. True it was that she didn't love him the way she had once thought she did, but that didn't mean she stopped caring.

A bright white light shone, engulfing her and Masaya, and forcing all else around to shield their eyes from it. Ichigo found herself in front of Masaya, and he was oddly dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, what he'd been wearing before it all started. She reached and gripped the front of his shirt, squeezing her eyes closed. She had no idea what she was doing, she was just going with whatever her instincts told her to. Her eyes keeping closed tight, and her grip on his shirt tighter, she curled into herself and transferred her life into him.

The next thing Masaya knew, he was on the ground with Ichigo, still in her mew form, lying next to him. Kish was standing at the other end of the room, his eyes wide with horror and his mouth hanging open slightly. It was that that made Masaya nervous as he sat up, but Ichigo kept still. Kish ran over, his teleporting ability forgotten in his racing mind, and slid onto his knees next to Ichigo. He lifted her up gently in his arms and cradled her upper body like one would when holding a newborn child.

"No. No, no, no, no…" He murmured over and over again, tears forming in his eyes. Masaya sat on the other side of Ichigo's body lying in Kish's arms, just staring at her, unsure of what to do next. There seemed to be a lot of unsure-ness going on that day.

Rainbow bubbles floated down from the sky, having been released from Deep Blue by Masaya when he stabbed himself with the sword. It healed everything it touched, everything but one certain person.

The mews slowly stood up, the boys helping them, and looked up towards the palace. Everyone's bruises and cuts and scrapes were healed, every ache and pain gone.

Mikuru held her hands up in front of her as though to catch the gently falling bubbles, "What is it?" She asked, sounding in awe.

"Mew Aqua." Minto answered, staring up at the bubbles.

Purin broke into a bright, beaming smile, "We did it, na no da!" Retasu clapped her hands together, also joyful.

Zakuro was the only one that didn't seem to be celebrating the win. Pai looked over at her, "Are you not happy to have saved earth?"

"I am," Zakuro said, "But something isn't right."

Minto looked over at her, "What is it, Zakuro-oneesama?"

"Come, we have to go up there." Zakuro said. Without another word, she jumped onto a tree branch, jumping onto a higher one next and then another, until she was high enough to reach the palace. Minto flew up behind her, Purin hopping on the tree branches next, then Kuri. Pai lifted Retasu up bridal style, her cheeks turning red, and flew up, Kuriimu doing the same with Mikuru, Tart and Sherbet flying up with them. Keiichiro, Ryou, and Kurumi having to wait on the ground.

Everyone raced down the hall of the palace, the feeling that something was wrong continuously growing stronger as they reached the end that would lead them to where Kish, Ichigo, and Masaya would be. When they got there, though, they stopped, seeing Kish cradling Ichigo in his arms, crying over her body, Masaya on Ichigo's other side, just staring at her with depressed, blank look on his face.

"Ichigo-oneechan!" Purin screamed and tried to run to her, but Tart appeared in front of her and held his arms tightly around her as she jerked around, trying to break away from him, large tears falling from her yellow eyes. After only a minute of struggling, she settled down and cried into Tart's shoulder. He sighed and stroked her hair, a fatal attempt to comfort her.

Retasu closed her eyes and looked away, Pai gently putting his hands on her shoulders and letting her cry into his chest, also closing his eyes. Minto closed her own eyes and rested her forehead on Zakuro's shoulder, forcing down the tears that threatened to pour down her cheeks. Mikuru whimpered before starting to cry, her hands balled into small fists and covering her mouth, and slowly sinking to her knees. Kuriimu wasn't sure weather to go to his brother, or the girl he loved, so he just stayed where he was, frozen like a statue.

Zakuro sighed and also closed her eyes, speaking quietly, "The way to know if your mission in life is complete, is weather you are still amongst the living or in your grave."

"No," Kish said, "No, no, that- that can't be…she can't- without her…_I_ have no reason to live, so why am I still alive, huh? Tell me that and _then_ I'll believe it. But she can't- she can't be…" He kissed her, as disgusting as it may have sounded to kiss a corpse, he didn't care. He felt like they were Romeo and Juliet, from that human play Pai had told him about, though he couldn't remember who did what or why, but he did remember one of them kissing the other because they couldn't live without them. He slowly pulled away, though kept his forehead resting against hers. If what Zakuro said was true, then what was there left for him to do? How long would it be until he could die too and see her again, because without her, he felt as though he was dead already.

He jolted to alertness when he felt her squirm in his arms. Was it his imagination, or did it really happen? She squirmed again and he knew it had to have been real, even the mews were looking at her now, eyes wide with anticipation. She lifted from Kish's arms a small ways and glowed pale pink, she saw her cat genes form and then run away to somewhere unknown, after that she fell back onto Kish, now in her human form. The others mews also glowed their own colors and looked down at themselves with curiosity. With a small, almost inaudible intake of breath, Ichigo's eyes opened by the tiniest crack, her chest moved up and down slowly in a rhythmic motion, her eyes just barely open but still peering up at Kish with curiosity and question, wondering what was going on, and knowing she was safe with him.

"Kish…" She mumbled.

Kish smiled and buried his face in the crook of her neck, "Yeah, I'm here." A few spare tears fell from his eyes and tickled Ichigo's neck, she could feel them fall onto her skin and then roll, dripping to the floor. She reached her arms around him and gave him a gentle squeeze, having a pretty good guess of what happened.

Tart looked very confused as Purin started crying all over again, only she was smiling and laughing this time. She clung to his neck and cried happily. Confused, Tart hugged her back. Zakuro let out a sigh of relief and Minto squeezed her arm excitedly. Retasu nearly fainted and now leaning against Pai's chest, a smile on her face. Everyone was smiling with relief and joy now. Kuriimu kneeled down next to Mikuru and leaned on him, feeling exhausted but very happy that her leader was okay.

The palace shook, nearly knocking everyone off balance.

"We have to get out of here," Masaya said urgently, "Without Deep Blue, this place will be destroyed."

Kish stood, keeping his arms around Ichigo as she stood with him, "Alright, Pai, Tart, Sherbet, Kuriimu, let's go."

Kuriimu stood with Mikuru and made her stand next to Kuri, Kish doing the same with Ichigo. The aliens held their hands up to snap their fingers and sent a teleportation portal around all the humans, sending them down to the ground where Ryou, Keiichiro, and Kurumi were.

* * *

The mews and Masaya were now on the standing on the ground, staring up at the palace, wondering why the aliens were still inside and what they were doing.

"Ichigo, mew mews!" Ryou ran over to them, Keiichiro and Kurumi following him.

"Why are they still in there?!" Ichigo spun around on her heel and faced Ryou, a worried look plastered on her face.

"How should I know?!" Ryou shot back.

They watched as the palace dissolved, like a sugar cube in water, a giant, black, rusted thing was in the sky some ways above it.

"Is that…their ship?" Kuri asked.

"I don't think so," Keiichiro said, "They said they had been banned from their ship, remember?"

"Okay, then what is that?" Kuri asked.

"I am not sure." Keiichiro said.

Everyone ran to the edge of the trees as the ship landed. A ramp slid down in sections before a round door swung open and five figures walked out.

"Kish!" Ichigo ran up to him and met him halfway up the ramp, colliding into him with a hug. He gripped her back just as tight, if not tighter. He had his reason for living back, his kitten.

"Koneko-chan," Kish said.

"Tar-Tar! Sherby-kun!" Purin bounced her way over to both of them and threw her arms around both of their necks in a double bear hug.

"Mikuru!" Kuriimu said as she ran over to him and they gave each other a big hug.

"Pai-san…" Retasu stood there, her eyes once again filling with tears. She thought something had happened to them.

"Retasu-chan…" He walked over to her and they just stood there, gazing into each others eyes. The others looked away, somehow finding the staring more intimate than all the hugs.

"Where'd you guys get the ship?" Ichigo asked once she'd pulled away from Kish.

Kish kept his arms around Ichigo's waist, "I'm not sure, it was just…there, so we used it to destroy the palace before it destroyed the farm, we don't know where it came from."

"I think I may be able to answer that." A new voice said. Another form stepped out of the ship. He was a taller, older man with forest green hair, dark brown eyes, and long, pointed alien ears.

"U-Uncle Jiro?" Kish said.

Jiro smiled at him, "Nice to see you too, Kish, seems like you're pretty happy here." The man eyed his nephew holding the cat girl. Kish blushed slightly and looked down at Ichigo with a smile.

"Yeah." He said.

"If you were on the pod, then it is my guess that you were the one who sent it." Pai said, a hint of a question in his voice.

"I am," Jiro said, "I did not understand why my nephews had both been banished, but then, with a little research, I figure it out. Well, one of the reasons anyway." Ichigo blushed and rested her head on Kish's shoulder. "So, tracking where you five were and seeing what you were doing, I decided to come and help. Your mother is very worried, you know."

"I'm sure." Kuriimu said with a small sigh.

"I have a question." Mikuru said quietly.

"What is it?" Kuriimu asked.

"If we stay one earth, where you go?" Mikuru asked.

The aliens all glanced at each other. Where _would_ they go? Could they even go anywhere? They couldn't, really, since the planet they were on now was really the only habitable one for the rest of the galaxy besides earth. Any other one either had some water-like substance that couldn't be used, leading them to death by dehydration, sour ground that you wouldn't be able to plant even the most weather-resistant crops on, or something else that would lead them all to their death.

"I'm…not sure," Kuriimu said.

"Well, if you want," Ryou said, "What Mew Aqua wasn't used on earth collected itself, you could use it to fix up your planet."

"That would be wonderful," Jiro said, "Are you certain you don't mind?"

"Trust us, you could use it so much more than we could," Keiichiro said.

Jiro smiled, "Thank you, you are all very kind."

Ichigo turned her head to bury her face in Kish's chest, "I'm just glad you're all okay."

"Lets get back to the house," Kurumi said, "Cherry promised some pink lemonade for when we got back in."

* * *

Later that night, just before the sun was completely gone, a bus arrived at the end of the driveway.

Kurumi put his hand on Masaya's head and roughed his hair, "It's been nice knowing you, I guess, but I don't think I'll miss you."

"Uh, yeah, thanks…I guess." Masaya said. He turned to Kish and held out his hand.

"You win." Kish looked surprised, "I will let Ichigo go, I won't try to win her over, you can have her, but on one condition."

"What?" Kish asked warily, eyeing his outstretched hand and then looking back up at him.

"Take care of her," Masaya said, "make sure she stays safe from all harm, and never, _ever_ let her go."

Kish took Masaya's hand with a _slap!_, "You can count on it." They shook and the Masaya turned to his awaiting buss.

"Goodbye, Momomiya-san," He said over his shoulder, "Maybe we will see each other again someday, but until then, I hope you lead a happy life."

Ichigo eyes began to well with tears. She reached up and untied the red ribbon from around her neck, the little bell making a soft tinkling sound as she did and walked up to him, holding it out for him, "I hope you will be happy also, and I'd like for you to take this back."

Masaya turned to take it, looking surprised, "But, Momomiya-san, I thought you liked this?"

"I do," Ichigo said, "But I want you to give it to the one that's meant for you."

Masaya smiled a sad smile, "Thank you." With that he stepped onto the buss 's step and disappeared inside, only reappearing in a window seat.

"Goodbye, na no da!" Purin exclaimed, waving.

"Goodbye!" Retasu said, also waving.

"Later, City Boy!" Kurumi said, lazily saluting him. Masaya waved out the window and the buss drove off.

"You know what?" Kish said, "I will most definitely _not_ miss him." Ichigo couldn't help giggling.

Kuriimu slid his hand into Mikuru's, "Do you always have to ruin the mood?"

"Ah, shut it!" Kish said, slipping an arm around Ichigo's waist. They all began to walk back to the house.

"So, when are you guys going back to the city?" Cherry asked.

"Not sure," Ichigo said, "but I do know that I will definitely miss this place."

"I think we will as well." Pai said.

* * *

Me: How was it? I hope it came out okay, I had a bit of a hard time with this chaper...how was Jiro popping in like that? I hope no one is confused about anything, if so just ask^^ Oh, and if anyone would like to see Mikuru, I drew a chibi picture of her a while ago and posted it up on my DeviantArt account, there's a link on my page if anyone would like to see her.

Kish: ;.; Ichigo...is okay...

Me: Yup! I thought Mikuru and Kuriimu's little thing was cute. Anyway, Read and Review please! The next chapter should be the last or second to last, I'm not sure yet.


	26. December Snow Fall

Me: Ta da! Last chapter! Truth: I had no idea where this story was going when I first started, XD. But, I'm glad people enjoyed it! It was much fun to write, I really like how Mikuru came out as a character. I actually wasn't planning on having that much PxL in it, and more TxP but this was just how it ended up.

Thanks for Reading:  
**Mo12341234  
Rizu Neko-Chan  
Zira the insane one  
**

**Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi does not own Tokyo Mew Mew, only her OC's.**

* * *

Ichigo gripped Kish's shirt tightly as they sat, snuggled up, on the couch together. "I don't want to be away from you."

Kish hugged her and held her close, "I don't either, but we'll be back in a few months." Ichigo sighed and nodded, leaning against his chest, "And hey, Pai said he'd make a way for me to use that human email system, so I can send you cyber letters!"

Ichigo giggled, "That's good."

Jiro teleported into the room. Bara and Kei were both outside working. "You two look cozy." He said with a smirk.

Ichigo blushed. Kish blushed only lightly, "Hey, Uncle Jiro, how'd you get there all of a sudden at the end of the fight?"

Jiro sat cross-legged in the air, "Well, I had found out about your…mishap only a few days before, and took one of the pod ships to come see you and talk to you about it. I got there just before the palace was about to fall and the radar detected it, so I came to help since I wasn't to far away." He shrugged, "Just good timing I guess."

"Seems a bit to coincidental to me." Kish said.

Jiro smiled and winked at him, "Guess that's just how things work."

"Yeah." Kish said, not entirely believing him. He nuzzled Ichigo's hair, "I'm just glad my kitty is okay." She blushed and giggled, her hair tickling her cheek. Kish's guess was that Jiro had planned it; he wasn't one to fight anymore now that he was getting older, so he had probably waited off to the side when he got there and only interfered when he saw it was needed. His uncle was just like that.

Jiro frowned suddenly, "Don't forget, we leave early tomorrow morning. Be ready."

Kish sighed and nodded, "Yeah, I know. So what'd you want to talk about anyway?"

"I wanted to meet the reason you defied Deep Blue," Jiro said, "She must really be something, you threatened the whole clan's survival for her, you know that right?"

Kish flinched at that. He looked down at Ichigo, who had zoned out by now and was playing with the sleeve of his shirt. "Yeah, I know. But she was definitely worth it; she made me realize that I shouldn't just follow what I was brought up with _just _because I was brought up with it."

"Hm, and how was that?" Jiro asked.

"I wanted to save her, no matter what happened I wanted to make sure she stayed with me," Kish said, "But…no matter what I did, she wouldn't believe me that that was all I wanted, she kept rejecting me and saying she loved this human boy -the one who turned into Deep Blue- and that that was never going to change."

Jiro smiled at him, "Well, obviously that wasn't true, look where you two are now." Kish nodded as he smiled down at Ichigo. Jiro could see the love in his eyes; it was plain as day was from night. His nephew was really in love.

Kish refused to leave Ichigo's side nearly all day, wanting to spend as much time with her as he could before he left. He was constantly stealing a kiss every chance he got, hugging her, holding her, and just smothering her with lots of love.

Pai and Retasu had both disappeared somewhere, though no one knew where to, they guessed down the gulf. Tart, Purin, and Sherbet were running around outside with Cookie, Cherry had started dinner, and Kuri and Minto had gone down to the horses. Kuriimu and Mikuru were moving the sheep back into the barn, and Keiichiro and Ryou had gone over to the café to clean things up and get ready to head back to Tokyo.

* * *

The next day they had exactly one day left on Berry Sky Farm. A sad thought it was, they found, they were going to miss the place. Maybe not all the work, but still, they would miss Mikuru and Kuri, Cherry, Cookie, and Kurumi, and everyone else there and the little town called Sherly.

Ichigo scanned her eyes over Café Mew Mew. It had been recently decided that it would be staying open, Kurumi would be taking Ryou's place, and Cherry taking Keiichiro's place, Cookie was now greeting the door, but that was as far as it went with her, she was still too young to do much else, and that left Kuri and Mikuru as waitresses. It was still under debate weather or not Kuriimu would be a waiter once he returned.

The aliens had been gone for only one day to help their planet but still, Ichigo, Purin, Retasu, and Mikuru seemed a little depressed. Just before the guys left, though, Pai and Retasu had gone on a date to the nearby Sherly Library, studying sea life and whatever else suited their fancies, going out to lunch afterwards at The Great White Shark pizzeria. When they returned to Café Mew Mew, they were holding hands. Kish got smacked upside the head when he tried teasing Pai about it, but only stopped when Ichigo told him to.

Ichigo now had a replacement for the chocker she had returned to Masaya. It was a light pink ribbon chocker with a metallic hot pink heart shaped bell. Kish had said that she was his kitten, and that was the proof, but she was an untamable kitten so she was allowed to take it off whenever she wanted. Also news, according to Kish's uncle, Jiro, they were forcefully engaged. Ichigo had squeaked out a protest that they were far to young to be engaged, but Jiro just sat there smiling at her, insisting that they were engaged, so the chocker was also in place of an engagement ring as Ichigo had clearly stated to Kish that had he gotten her one, she would not wear it until she felt ready to. So, seeing a loophole, he got a necklace instead. Ichigo had sighed and shook her head, giving up and admitting only to him, Jiro, and Kish's mother, Fumiko, that they were engaged. Oh, his mother was ecstatic, so proud and happy and not caring in the least bit that Ichigo was human, let alone a mew mew, just happy that her son had found someone he was happy with. Of course, Ichigo hadn't actually _met_Kish's mother in person, only talked to her over a computer in the lab beneath Café Mew Mew. She had Kish and Kuriimu's golden eyes but Kuriimu's dark silver hair. She had sat and listened to Fumiko go on about her sons, and how much Kish may have her eyes and Jiro's hair, but he looked like his father from the shape of his face down to the very shape of his nose, and Kuriimu looked like Jiro, and both her boys were very handsome young men. Needless to say, Kish and Kuriimu sat some ways behind Ichigo and Mikuru, who was sitting next to her, blushing and grumbling that their mother needed to try talking about something else.

Retasu and Purin also got to talk to Fumiko, since she was practically a mother to Pai, Tart, and Sherbet just as much as she was to Kish and Kuriimu. Fumiko went on about how all her boys had gotten gorgeous young ladies, and had better treat them right, with respect and gentle care. Pai, Kish, Kuriimu, and Tart stood there blushing -Pai hiding it- and told their mother that they were taking just fine care of their girls, thank you, and that they would continue to so long as they lived. Sherbet and Purin only saw each other as friends, no matter how deep a blush came across Sherbet's face when Purin would tug on his arm or get really close, they were friends and friends only, which seemed to make Tart relax when the two were alone together.

"Ichigo!" Minto's voice snapped Ichigo back to present times.

"What?" She asked, looking over at her.

Minto jabbed her index finger at a teenaged couple sitting at a table, "Don't just stand there, daydreaming about your little alien boyfriend, get to work!"

Ichigo blushed, rolling her eyes, and walked up to the couple. "Hi, my name Ichigo and I will be your waitress, may I take your order or would like a few minutes?"

"Oh, we'll take a few minutes, thanks." The girl said.

* * *

By the end of the day, Ichigo found herself in the sheep pen, filling the waterer up with water from a hose.

She sat there, on the hay covered floor, waiting for the waterer to fill up all the way, and sighed, wishing her alien would come and steal a kiss. She missed Kish, and it made her chest hurt to think about it. She wondered how long it would be until she would get to see him again. He had promised to send a message to her by way of human email at least twice a week and when they arrived at their planet, but she wasn't sure if there were any computers on Berry Sky Farm. She figured she'd have to ask at some point. Just then, Mikuru came down the hay loft stairs with a bag full of hay.

"Hey, Mikuru," Ichigo said, "Do you have any computers here?"

Mikuru dumped the hay out into the sheep pen, "'Course we do, Kurumi-oniichan has a laptop, Grandma and Grandpa each have a computer in their office upstairs," She jumped up and sat on the railing of the sheep pen, "Cherry has a laptop, and Kuri and I share one."

"Wow, that's…a lot of computers." Ichigo said. Mikuru only nodded, staring off into space now. She seemed to be doing that a lot now that Kuriimu was gone, she did when he was there too, but you could tell she was listening to the conversations around her, her eyes didn't have that glazed over, no-longer-on-earth look to them then as they did now.

Ichigo smiled at her and turned off the water, standing up, "Come on, let's get back inside." She exited the pen and Mikuru jumped back off the railing, following Ichigo.

When they got back in, Ichigo went into Mikuru's room to lie on her sleeping bag and played with her new necklace, twirling the bell around in her fingers, listening to the tinkling sound it made, and thinking of Kish. She already missed him more than anyone could imagine. She sighed, resting her head on her pillow.

There was a knock on the door.

"Ichigo?" Cherry's muffled voice was heard, "Dinner is ready, you comin'?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there!" Ichigo answered. She got up to have dinner with everyone else. It would be the last dinner they had together.

Dinner was good and everyone was chatting with someone, but you could tell everyone was sad they were leaving. It felt to them as though they'd just gotten there.

"It's a shame you all have to leave so soon," Bara said, "You're all such nice youngsters, I'mma miss you good."

Kei looked up from his plate, "Hey, you kids know anything about this _UFO Sighting_ that s'posedly was on our farm?" In the morning paper he'd read that day, the headline had been a picture and article of an Unidentified Flying Object, very bright and unable to be seen correctly.

"Eep!" Mikuru squeaked and covered her mouth with her hands. Kei looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she faked being only frightened by the idea, "A-aliens? You think they could be real?"

Kei shrugged, deciding to drop the subject if it scared her so much. "S'pose they could be, never know."

"I say it's a bunch of crap," Kuri said, leaning back, "Probably just some drunkard taking a picture of the sun or something." The whole time she was speaking, she kept her eyes firmly on her lap.

Kei nodded, thinking this idea over, "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Because there's no such thing as aliens, right?" Ichigo asked jokingly with a smirk. The mews all giggled at that and Kei and Bara were a bit confused about what was so funny, but decided not to ask.

* * *

They next morning, at six, the five mews and Ryou and Keiichiro got up to return to the city. As when they had driven there, Keiichiro and Zakuro were switching on and off with who was driving, though Ryou, now knowing how to drive a tractor and a quad, had asked if he could drive and was firmly yet still politely rejected by Keiichiro, much to everyone else's relief.

Ichigo stared bordely out the window for most of the ride, but, like when they had gone there, a question popped into her mind.

"Hey, Ryou?" She said. The blonde boy lazily rolled his head to look at her. "Did you ever find out who was sending those Chimera Animas?"

"We did, actually," Ryou said, "It was Deep Blue, somehow, without even being on earth, he had managed to form alien parasites and infect the farm animals with them. We think it may have been because Masaya was there, ever notice how he was always somewhere close when the Animas appeared?"

"Hm." Ichigo went back to leaning against the window. It seemed a little surreal, having been in a fight for earth just two days before and now they were leaving to head back to the city. It just didn't seem…right, like they should have been staying a little while longer or something that would have shown…that they were there? She didn't know, no one really knew but they all felt it, like there should be some mark that they had been there and of what had happened there. But there was nothing.

Ichigo leaned over to rest against the sleeping pile of human that was Purin and Retasu and joined them in their slumber. She guessed the memories were enough.

* * *

Mikuru stood on top of a hay bale on the hayloft, her Capri pants close enough to rolled-up jeans that she found it somewhat ironic to be standing on the very bale where she had, only two weeks before, with Kuriimu, but they had been enemies at that time, and now he was her first boyfriend. She giggled at the thought, blushing lightly before dashing across the bales to the other side of the loft, pretending her was there with her and she was racing him. If she listened close enough, she could almost hear him laughing as he ran a ways behind her only to have himself jump across and fall onto a lower bale. The whole farm seemed a little lonely without everyone.

She fell to her knees once she got to the other end, abruptly stopping rather than slowing and then dropping. It hurt her knees a little, getting a few scratches from the hay, but she didn't care. She heard someone climbing up the hayloft stairs and guessed it was Kuri, she was the only one who would be going up there in the middle of the day, Kurumi and Kei were probably out doing something in the cow field or haying, and Cherry and Cookie barely ever went into the barn.

She listened as the person made their way across the hay and over to her. Sure enough, it was Kuri who sat down next to her.

"Mikuru?" She said. Mikuru looked up at her.

"You okay?" Kuri asked.

Mikuru sighed, "Yeah."

"You sure?" Kuri asked.

Mikuru looked at her sister, "Uh…what if…he doesn't come back?"

"Who? Kuriimu?" Kuri asked. Mikuru nodded. Kuri smirked and put her arm around her sister's shoulders, "He'd better or else I'll track him down and kick his alien butt." Mikuru giggled, "But really, he'll come back, I promise." Mikuru nodded and leaned against Kuri.

* * *

_Five months later…December twelfth, 10:16 pm_

Mikuru sat, her knees pulled to her chest, on the wooden floor in front of the wood burning furnace. Kuri looked over at her from reading a book on the couch. He sister had been a little depressed from not having seen Kuriimu or anyone one else for the past few months. Kuri missed everyone herself, too, but she wasn't in love with one of them. Plus, she had promised her Kuriimu had come back, and she was still waiting.

The doorbell rang and Mikuru stood to answer it, her long, white winter skirt brushing the floor. When she got to the mudroom and opened the door, gasped in surprise and mouth fell agape. There standing was: Ichigo, Minto, Retasu, Purin, Zakuro, Ryou, Keiichiro, Kish, Pai, Tart, and Sherbet.

She frowned, "Where's-"

"Happy birthday, Little Lamb." A voice whispered into her ear from behind. She spun around and saw Kuriimu standing right behind her.

He held up a small box wrapped in white wrapping paper with pale pink ribbon and a curly pink bow.

"Sorry we couldn't get back sooner, forgive me?" He said.

Mikuru, instead of answering with words, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, all of her shyness temporarily forgotten, but her cheeks turned red and her lamb horns, ears, and tail popped out.

"Ahem, so sorry to interrupt, but will you kindly let us in?" Minto asked, sounding snobby and slightly annoyed.

Kuriimu hugged Mikuru back and stepped aside with her so everyone else could file into the house. He set her down and handed her the box.

"For you." He said.

"But…my birthday isn't until tomorrow." Mikuru said.

He shrugged, "So it's a little early." She smiled up and him and led him into the living room where the others had gone.

"Oh my gosh! When'd you guys get back?" Kuri asked the aliens excitedly.

"Just last night," Kish answered, "It took all day to get here because of the snow though."

"Yeah, but we're only here for a few days," Ichigo said, "We came up for your girls' birthday."

"Ugh, you would not _believe_the snow fall coming here," Minto said, "I could have sworn Keiichiro was going to swerve off the road. We almost got stuck a few times."

"Oh, I believe it." Kuri said, sounding unimpressed.

"So, you're both twelve now, correct?" Retasu asked.

"Yup!" Kuri said.

Cherry poked her head out of the kitchen and motioned for Keiichiro to come over. He did and disappeared to help her with whatever it was she was doing.

"What's Cherry doing?" Ryou asked.

Kuri shrugged, "Dunno, she started something but when we offered to help she booted us out of the kitchen, only Cookie has been aloud in there all night."

"Where are your grandparents?" Retasu asked.

"Sleeping, they always turn in early, remember?" Kuri said.

"Purin remembers, na no da!" Purin said. "Purin remembers _everything_!"

Everyone talked and caught up with each other. Pai and Retasu were now officially together, and had gone on a date just before they left for the farm. Kish was all over Ichigo, and she would blush and tell him to stop if they were in front of people, but other than that she was just the same with him. Purin had forced Tart on a few dates, and they were almost always together, Tart would complain but you could see that he actually didn't mind it to much. Kuri had entered into a few barrel races for kids; she had a lot of fun riding her horses around the wood barrels. Mikuru had only one new lamb that she'd named Yoru, a dark brown little thing that she had had to bottle feed a few times, she was starting to wonder if she'd have to bring him in the house to take care of him, his mother kept pushing him away. Kurumi had signed up for the Air Force and a recruiter would be there to pick him up in February, sometime after his eighteenth birthday, he was out at a party with his friends that night though. Kuriimu had missed Mikuru very much, as she had him, and was now waiting for her to open her birthday present. Kish and Kuriimu's uncle, Jiro, hadn't gone with them he could look after Fumiko, their mother and his sister, who had caught a slight cold but was so far doing fine.

All they knew of Masaya was that he had gone off to an all boys private boarding school in London, England, and had reported that he was loving it there. The people were nice, the teachers were wonderful, and he had already made a friend or two. The only thing he missed, he said, besides Ichigo, was kendo; there was no kendo team in London, which was understandable since it was a Japanese sport. Kish, being the smart ass that he is, asked if kendo was that "weird thingy where a bunch of people got together just to hit each other with sticks." Masaya answered, yes, it was, kind of, but it was sport, not a "weird thingy" and quite a lot of fun. Kish had a funny look, commenting that Sais fighting was more fun, and thus started an argument that Kish had never played kendo, let alone should he know what it is, not being from earth, and Kish argued back that just because he wasn't from earth didn't mean he didn't know anything about it, and he knew darn well what Kendo was, but when Masaya referred back to his question, Kish lost the argument, but in a way had also won. He didn't know what kendo was, but he had seen him playing it when he'd go out to stalk Ichigo at school, so he knew how it was played, he just didn't get the point or much else other than you got to hit people with sticks, which he did admit looked pretty fun. This "conversation" had taken place over Ichigo's cell phone set on speaker, so everyone could talk to him.

Mikuru looked down at the little box in her hands, listening to everyone talk and playing with the ribbon. What was inside it?

"Well?" She jumped at hearing Kuriimu's voice right next to her. She looked up at him, "Are you going to open it?"

"Uh…wh- uh, yeah, I guess." Mikuru said. She felt a little nervous as the room fell silent and everyone looked at her. Slowly and hesitantly, she pulled the ribbon off and then the wrapping paper. Underneath was a small, cardboard box, she lifted the lid off and let out a silent gasp when she found a silver chain bracelet that had several charms on it. The first charm she saw was a gold cow bell and it actually made a small _tinkle_ sound when it moved, the others were a lamb, a strawberry, a mint leaf, a head of lettuce, a plate of pudding, a pomegranate, and a chestnut.

"Do you like it?" Kuriimu asked.

"Yes!" Mikuru said. She spun around to face him with a bright smile.

"It is a pretty little thing," Minto said, "Though it looks kind of cheap." Kuriimu glared at her as he secured the snaps of the bracelet around Mikuru's wrist, she seemed to have either not heard or was just ignoring her.

Kish sighed and rested his head on Ichigo's shoulder, who was sitting between his legs as they were curled up on the couch together, "Makes me wonder what to do for your birthday." He said.

"Just be there." Ichigo said.

"You don't want anything?" Kish asked, "Nothing at all?"

"Just you." Ichigo said with a slight giggle in her voice.

Kish smirked and she blushed when he kissed her neck, "As willing as I would be to be your birthday present, Kitten, I'm afraid I can't give you what you already have." Ichigo giggled as Kish left a trail of kisses leading from her shoulder all the way up to her lips. Luckily everyone was busy with something else, and not paying any attention to them, that and they were pretty used to it by now.

"I love you." Ichigo sighed, resting against him and closing her eyes.

"I love you too, Koneko-chan." Kish whispered into her ear.

"It's ready!" Everyone turned their attention to Cherry, who came out of the kitchen with Cookie and Keiichiro on her heels, holding a silver tray with a cookie cake on it. Using M&M's she wrote out _Kuri_ and _Mikuru_ on it, frosting balloons were around the edge.

"Yummy! Cake!" Purin cried, her eyes wide and sparkling.

"Ch-Cherry…" Kuri said.

Mikuru slid behind Kuriimu but he gently pushed her over to the table where Cherry set the cake down. Everyone, save for Kuri and Mikuru, began singing _happy birthday_. Mikuru's face turned red and she clung to Kuriimu's arm, attempting to use his shoulder as a hiding place.

When they stopped singing, Purin cheered, "Let's eat cake, na no da!"

"So this is what you were doing." Kuri said to Cherry, obviously not liking having been put on the spotlight so suddenly like that. Cherry just smiled at her sweetly.

Keiichiro began serving out the cake on paper plates with plastic forks.

He handed Kish his plate and he looked at it funny, "What is it?"

"It's cookie cake," Ichigo said, taking a bite of hers.

"It looks like a big cookie," Kish said.

Ichigo nodded, "Yeah, that makes sense."

"It's a cookie?" Kish asked, looking at it.

"Yup." Ichigo said.

"But you just said it was cake!" Kish said. He violently stabbed his cookie cake slice and shoved a piece in his mouth.

"It's both." Ichigo said.

Kish froze and looked at her, he swallowed his bite, "Both?" Ichigo nodded, looking at him in amusement. "But…how?"

"Basically, it's just a giant cookie with frosting on it," Ichigo said, "And M&M's on this one."

"I see." Kish said, he raised an eyebrow at his cake, now wondering how it was made.

"Come with me, please." Pai whispered into Retasu's ear. He stood and she followed him out to the mudroom.

"Let's go for a walk." Pai said.

"Um…in the snow?" Retasu asked. Pai nodded, "A-alright." They put their coats and boots back on and went out.

It was only a small walk around the driveway. "Retasu-chan, at what age is it considered proper for a female to wed on earth?"

Retasu blushed a fiery red, "U-u-um, well, that-that really depends on where you, um, are and uh…what said p-person's family believes in and um-" She was seized by a kiss.

Pai pulled back only a little, holding her face in his hands, "When you are of age, I hope that we will be able to join together in matrimony." Retasu stared up at him, wide-eyed. What was she supposed to say or do? They had technically been dating, but nothing farther than a trip to the library together or going out to a movie.

"I-I would…like that, too, Pai-kun." Retasu said. Hand-in-hand they continued their walk.

Back inside the house, everyone was sitting in the living room. Kish and Ichigo were still curled up on the couch, Kuriimu and Mikuru were snuggled up in front of the fire, and Tart and Purin were asleep together on the armchair. Everything was peaceful, calm, the way it should be.

Ichigo stared out the window behind the couch, looking out at the star covered sky as she leaned against her alien boyfriend, thinking over everything from the time they first went to Berry Sky Farm to the moment they left. Mikuru may have been an accident, but if it weren't that she wouldn't have ever met her, or have gone to a farm, and she wouldn't have been there right then with Kish, she probably would never have given him the time of day had it not been for Mikuru and Kuri and everyone else taking them to the Farm Fair. That just goes to show, some accidents were simply meant to be made.

* * *

Me: The end! I'm not the greatest with endings, as you've probably realized, but hey, I-

Kish: Hay is for horses :D

Me: Quiet. I tried my best, though I think I could've done better^^" anyway, thanks so ver much to everyone who read this and to those who reviewed! Everyone gets a big cookie! *throws cookies in the air for people to catch* ^^ I like giving cookies.

I'm guessing most people know what barrel racing is, but just in case: it's where a person rides a horse in a pattern around barrels-usually wood or metal ones-in a ring, kind of like a derby ring. Whoever is the fastest to complete the rounds wins, it's not judged by how good they made the round or if they slipped up or anything like that. Professional barrel racing contests are usually only for women, but sometimes men can to, it depends on where you are and what you're comepeting in. Both boys and girls can compete in amature racing and some men do in youth levels. Since Kuri is only twelve, eleven when she started, she would be in the amateur racing, or so is my guess. I'm not to sure how accurate this is, but it's all I know about the sport.


End file.
